Fix You
by GladiatorInHeels
Summary: For the first time in her life, Olivia Pope needs fixing. There is only one person that can even begin to fix all that is broken within her.
1. Chapter 1

**I have previously posted a one-shot, but this will be my first multi-chapter Scandal fic. I would appreciate any kind of constructive criticism! I plan on updating twice a week and I hope you will enjoy this. **

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He took another sip of his fourth drink of the night and swallowed it slowly. The amber liquid no longer burnt his throat – he was too used to it to feel the effects it was having on him. Fitz sighed, pushing the papers around on his desk, unable to concentrate on anything. It was too late to be working productively, but too early to go to bed. Here, alone in his office, he could pretend that he was busy, that he was doing something important. Here, he could be alone, away from his wife, his personal responsibilities to his family. Locked away in the Oval Office, he could pretend he wasn't suffering through another day of loneliness and utter emptiness.

He was, though, and if Fitz was truly honest with himself he could admit that he was suffering terribly. Every single day of his life. He had not seen his two oldest children in months, and although he talked to them regularly, it did nothing to fill the empty spot their absence left in his heart. His youngest son was right here, living under the same roof, but he still seemed unavailable to him. It was never possible to simply walk into the nursery and play with his little boy, hold him, read to him, be with him. No, that was not the kind of life Fitzgerald Grant was living. He made appointments – small windows in his ever-busy schedule – to spend time with his baby boy. Because that's the kind of parent he was. That's the kind of parent Mellie had made him to be.

Mellie. In the last ten months he had leaned on her, because after all, she was the only one he could lean on at all. He did not trust her, he did not count on her to be honest to him, but he appreciated not being completely alone. Lonely yes, but not alone. In a little under a year, he had slept with her twice. Both times had left him feeling so empty that it physically hurt. After the second time, he had left their bedroom, moved to the couch in the baby's room and cried. Fitz had cried for almost an hour because he felt so lost and so deeply sad. While his life was far from perfect before, it was an utter mess now because he didn't have her.

He didn't have Olivia.

Fitz had not seen her in ten months. He had not spoken to her in ten months. He had not touched her in ten months. He had not been with her in ten months.

And it was the sole reason for his heartache.

It hadn't always been easy to be with her, far from it, but it gave him something to look forward to, something to rely on, and something to feel happy about. He'd been so incredibly mad at her, so disappointed when he'd learned about her involvement in the Defiance fiasco, and he had promised himself to get over her, move on, and hate her. After ten months, it was becoming obvious that Fitz was not succeeding in any of his attempts. While his anger had since begun to wear off, he did not feel any less disappointed in her and her decision to betray him. Still, he had not gotten over her, had not moved on, and did most definitely not hate her.

Olivia was still, and always would be, the love of his life. That in itself was the President's biggest problem. He was undeniably one of the most powerful – if not the most powerful – men in the world, but she had brought him to his knees. After having loved so deeply, so wonderfully all-consuming, Fitz was left a broken man. Maybe Olivia would take him back now, if he'd ask. Sure, she was hurt by his actions and the words he had spoken to her that faithful day during the Supreme Court Justice's funeral, but God knows he regretted them and if he tried, really, truthfully tried, he might still have a small chance with her.

But Fitz was too proud, too hurt to take that step and bring her back into his life. She had told him she would wait for him, said no to a marriage to a prestigious senator, but he had pushed her away and out of his life. Now, they were both living with the consequences of their actions.

Another sip of his drink did nothing to numb the pain, but he took it anyway. Fitz knew he drank too much and he knew that the people that were around him all day had noticed, but nobody would dare to say anything about it, until they did, he would continue on his self-destructive path. Maybe one day he'd get drunk enough to actually numb his feelings.

The door to his office opened and Cyrus walked in, his ever-present frown even more apparent at that moment. He closed the door and stopped, lowering his head and taking a deep breath.

"What do you want, Cyrus?", Fitz asked, his patience already beginning to wear thin.

Cyrus had been his best friend for so long. Someone he trusted and counted on, someone that literally dedicated his life to serving the country that they both loved. Since Fitz had found out about Defiance and since Olivia had been forced out of his life, things were much different. More often than not he found himself making decisions without Cyrus, and while he knew that wasn't necessarily a good thing and that it most definitely hurt Cyrus, he no longer cared. Just one more person in your life that's betrayed you, he thought.

"We have a problem."

"Don't we always?", he snorted, feeling bitter.

"An Olivia Pope problem, to be exact.", Cyrus replied in an eerily quiet voice.

Fitz' head snapped up at the sound of her name and he could feel his heartbeat quicken. Just the sound of her name made him feel anxious immediately.

"What happened? What does she want?", the President asked, already trying to figure out how he could avoid having to deal with her.

Sure, he loved her. Sure, he regretted not having her around any longer. However, Fitz knew that seeing her, even just hearing her voice, would break the walls he had worked so hard to build and he would get terribly burnt in the end. Olivia Pope was a person that he needed to keep out of his life at all costs. She was dangerous to him, because she knew him so well that she could worm her way into his very soul. Their initial meeting had shown him that all too clearly. Olivia Pope had entered his life by throwing the truth into his face like no one ever had before. Sure, she'd said what everyone else was thinking, but to be so forward had been shocking to him. Soon enough, Fitz had come to appreciate her bluntness and her strong opinions. They were such a contrast to her sweet smile and almost shy looks she'd given him in the days leading up to their very first intimate moment together.

Fitz sighed, running a hand through his curls in regret. He should never allow his mind to go there at all.

"Approximately 15 minutes ago, Olivia's car was in a head-on collision with a delivery truck. She crashed on the scene of the accident, but paramedics were able to bring her back. They are on the way to George Washington University Hospital."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all the kind reviews! I truly appreciate your feedback and support for the story. **

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The hand that had been running through his hair stopped abruptly and Fitz instantly felt sick to his stomach.

"What?", he uttered quietly, the color training from his already pale face. "Cyrus?"

"That's all I know, sir. Apparently she was on her way home from her office when she collided with the truck. I'm sure I will be able to find out more once she has been treated in the hospital. I thought… I just thought you'd want to know."

Cyrus sighed deeply, his own fears starting to manifest themselves in form of a terrible headache. After all, he adored Olivia. Infuriating, difficult, annoying, one-of-a-kind Olivia Pope. He loved that girl like a daughter.

"I'm going to need a car.", Fitz interrupted Cyrus' thoughts.

"Sir?"

"A damn car, Cyrus!", the President yelled, standing up and pushing his chair back forcefully. "I need a car ready immediately to take me to see her."

Cyrus scolded himself inwardly for the decision he had made. He should have known that, no matter what had transpired between them months ago, Fitz would not sit back and simply wait for news on Olivia's condition. Of course, he would want to leave the safety of the White House to walk into a hospital that is open to the public. Aside from the obvious security concerns, the media would go wild if they got wind of President Fitzgerald Grant III running to the hospital the moment he heard that his former White House Press Secretary had been in an accident.

"I don't think that will be possible.", he tried, already knowing that his attempts would be shut down.

"I am the President of the United States so it will be made possible, Cyrus!", Fitz yelled, fear and panic rising up like bile in his throat. "Dammit, Cyrus, I need to be there. What if…", he trailed off.

"Give me 30 minutes, Fitz.", Cyrus whispered, knowing there was nothing he could do to keep the President in the White House.

"Make it 15."

Exactly 21 minutes later Fitz, Cyrus, and several Secret Service agents entered the hospital through a service entrance. The floor had been partially locked down, and other than the hospital's administrator nobody knew that the President had entered the building. While agents were placed strategically on all entrances to the hospital, only Tom and Hal were with Fitz as he entered the small waiting area adjacent to the OR. The room was as empty as the hallways they had come through on their way here, and Fitz truly appreciated how fast both his people and the hospital staff had worked to allow him to be here. He knew it was still risky, simply because he was the President and he should not be roaming the halls of a public hospital, but there was no other way to do this. Fitz needed to be here.

Cyrus entered the room minutes after Fitz had taken a seat on one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. He had been able to speak to someone about Olivia's condition even though he was not a relative. Mentioning the White House worked wonders when one needed information. His eyes fell on Fitz, who had his head bent, holding it between his hands. He looked like the life had been sucked right out of him.

"Olivia is in surgery. They weren't able to give me a lot of information because they don't know much just yet."

"How bad is it?", Fitz asked carefully.

"Fitz…"

"Please, Cyrus. How bad?"

"It didn't look good when she came in.", he explained, falling into a seat next to the President.

Fitz had never felt so utterly lost and scared as he did in that very moment. All the anger and hurt he had felt towards Olivia seemed to dissipate, and all he could feel now was a numbing fear. For ten long months Fitz had kept the love of his life away because he did not feel like she deserved a chance to explain herself. He had ended the most rewarding relationship he had ever been a part of and closed himself off completely.

He had never regretted anything so much.

Just down the hall his Livy was fighting for her life. Maybe she would survive, and he would get the chance to make up for his failures. But maybe, maybe he would never get the opportunity to see her again. The thought felt like a grip around his throat, slowly getting tighter and tighter until he could barely breathe. He was not a weak man. He had barely ever cried in front of anyone, but right now he simply didn't think he could remain strong. Fitz swallowed a sob that was threatening to escape his body, and he slumped over even further, his body shaking in anguish.

Cyrus placed a hand on the President's back and lowered his own head, biting back the bitter taste of tears, pain and fear. Right here, in the chilly hospital waiting room they were not a powerful president and his Chief of Staff. They weren't two of the most influential men in America. They were two men afraid of suffering a loss.

"It could be hours before there's any kind of news, Fitz."

"I'm staying here.", he replied decidedly, his body finally straightening up.

Following suit, Cyrus sat up and straightened his suit jacket. It was going to be next to impossible to remove Fitz from the hospital until they would hear anything from Olivia's doctors. He had no choice but to fall back into his professional mode, because he needed to be the one to make smart decisions in this situation.

"It's a little after 9pm now. Most of the White House staff is likely done for the day, so we have a few hours before anyone will notice that you're missing. I will take care of Mellie if she happens to notice your absence. We can bring you back in a few hours, let's say… 1 maybe 2am. That will give you enough time to catch a couple hours of sleep and prepare yourself for the following day."

"I don't think you quite understood, Cyrus.", Fitz interjected quietly. "I can't leave here until I know Olivia is out of the woods. So I am going to stay for as long as it will take."

"Mr. President.", Cyrus sighed, hoping to call on Fitz' responsibility as the leader of the nation. "You know that's impossible. We can't have you disappear from the White House indefinitely to sit with your dying m…"

"My what?", Fitz bellowed before Cyrus could finish. "Don't you ever call her my mistress and don't you dare tell me she's dying! Liv is going to get through this and I will be right here when that happens!"

Deep down, Fitz knew that he was being a hypocrite. He had called Olivia a mistress himself months ago and he really couldn't fault Cyrus for considering the possibility that she may not survive. Despite that, he couldn't allow anyone to talk about her like that.

"Look, Cyrus,… there has to be something we can do.", he continued, almost pleadingly.

His Chief of Staff sighed, the wheels in his head already turning in order to come up with some kind of plan. To even consider keeping Fitz secretly away from the White House for more than a few hours in the middle of the night was practically political suicide. At the same time, he knew that if he were in the President's shoes and this were James' life on the line, he would react exactly the same way. Still, the situation was almost impossible and he wasn't sure how to approach it.

"Here's what's going to happen.", Cyrus began. "You are going to stay here, in a private room that we'll have arranged for you. Tomorrow morning, I will hold a press conference explaining that you had to leave D.C. to be with an ailing family member. Tomorrow night, no matter what happens here, you return to the White House. No matter what, Fitz."

"What about Mellie?", he asked, not because he cared, but because he was worried about what she would do once she found out that he was with Olivia.

"Let me worry about that.", Cyrus grumbled, not looking forward to the conversation he would be having with the First Lady. "I will most likely regret saying this, but you need to be here for Olivia."

"Thank you.", Fitz whispered, feeling truly humbled by the understanding Cyrus was showing.

Nearly four hours and three cups of bad hospital coffee later, two doctors entered the room the Secret Service agents had taken him to. Fitz stood immediately and when his eyes met theirs, his heart sank.

"My name is Dr. Aaron Wallace and this is my colleague Dr. Ken Stuart. We have been briefed, Mr. President. Nothing we discuss will leave this room. We understand you are allowed full disclosure on Ms. Pope's condition.", the older of the two informed him.

"I appreciate that. How is she?", Fitz asked, not bothering with any pleasantries.

"Ms. Pope was brought in this evening having suffered a major trauma caused by a head-on collision with another vehicle. It is my understanding that she crashed once on the scene, and a second time in the ER."

Fitz swallowed the bile that had begun to rise up in his throat. Twice. Livy had literally died twice before she had even made it into the OR. His palms were sweaty even though he felt a bone-chilling cold throughout his entire body, and he wiped them on the sides of his pants.

"She came to us with a collapsed left lung and extensive internal bleeding. We were able to repair the damage and we believe she should be able to recover from those injuries. However, Ms. Pope suffered a severe blow to the head. We released some of the pressure on her brain, but it's still touch and go. At this point, unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if she can come through this and what kind of permanent damage she will endure."

Fitz sank bank into his chair and tried to wrap his mind around the doctor's words. Olivia was so severely injured that they did not know if she would suffer permanent damage? He couldn't even begin to understand how much things had changed within a few hours, and he wished he could turn the clock back.

"She'll come through though, right? She's no longer in danger of dying?", he asked, scared of the doctors' answer.

"Mr. President… the next 24 hours will be crucial. If Ms. Pope can pull through, her chances will increase, but until she actually wakes up, it is very difficult to make a prediction."

"What are her chances?", Fitz implored.

"The survival rate for people with her injuries lies at about 40%, at best. I'm sorry we don't have better news for you. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them at any time."

"When can I see her?"

"She will be brought into this room in approximately ten minutes. You have been cleared to remain with her, however, if her condition deteriorates, we will have to ask you to step outside.", the younger doctor explained.

"I understand.", Fitz swallowed, afraid to even consider that Olivia's condition could get any worse. "Thank you, gentlemen."

For ten excruciatingly long minutes, Fitz sat in what was to be Olivia's hospital room. He wanted nothing more than to finally see her, but at the same time he was terrified. Finally, the door swung open and two nurses wheeled in the bed that held Olivia's small body. He remained seated, almost frozen in place as they quietly hooked her up to countless machines and IVs. With a nod of acknowledgment in his direction, they eventually left the room.

Slowly, Fitz stood up and moved closer to her bed. When his eyes fell on her fully, his knees almost gave out under him. Tears welled up in his eyes quickly and he felt an indescribable pain that radiated from his heart throughout his entire body.

"Oh Livy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the great reviews for this story so far! I really appreciate them and I love hearing what you have to say.**

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Fitz pulled a chair up to the side of her bed to avoid falling to his knees at the sight of her. He sat down heavily and rested his hand on her bed, close to where her own was lying. Gazing at her, he finally felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Olivia's hands and arms were covered in small cuts and bruises and every inch of her normally smooth skin seemed to be violated by some needle. She was covered with a thin white sheet up to her chest, but he could see a large bruise peeking out from under the covers. Finally, his eyes fell on Olivia's face. That breathtakingly beautiful face that had pulled him in the second he'd first laid eyes on her was now painful to even look at. There was a large cut starting at her left eyebrow and running across her forehead before disappearing into her hair. It was stitched and he wondered briefly if it would leave a scar on her flawless face. Her cheek was swollen and bruised and she had another smaller cut just above her full upper lip. A breathing tube had been inserted into her throat and he watched the artificial rise and fall of her chest. Then, Fitz noticed the small spot on the side of her head that was shaved and now covered by a bandage where they must have had to cut into her to release the pressure on her brain. The thought alone made him nauseous.

She looked so small, so frail and broken. Carefully, he took her right hand into his own, mindful of her injuries and the needles. Fitz bent down to place a gentle kiss on her hand, then one on each of her slender fingers. He hesitated, but after a few minutes of simply staring at her, he lifted his other hand to her face and stroked his fingers across her right cheek that seemed to be relatively uninjured. Scooting his chair as close as possible, Fitz lowered his head again, finally placing it on the pillow next to hers. His lips found her cheek, and he cried quietly, his tears wetting both her cheek and the pillow below them.

"Livy…", he whispered, his forehead and lips resting against the side of her face. "You need to be strong, sweet baby."

Fitz had not been this close to her in so long, and while it should have felt good to be able to feel her soft skin again, or look at her sweet face, it was nothing but pure anguish.

"I love you.", he cried softly. "I'm so sorry for everything, Livy. You're still my everything, so I need you to be strong for me and wake up. I need you to be okay."

For the next four hours, Fitz slept on and off next to Olivia. He continued to hold her hand and he was somewhat aware of nurses entering and leaving the room several times. It was a risk to be seen so close to her, but he had no other choice than to trust in the hospital staff's integrity because he simply could not even begin to think about leaving Olivia's bedside. The monotone beeping of her heart monitor and the quiet sound of her breathing machine were an ever present reminder that Liv was struggling – but alive.

Shortly before 6am, the door opened again and Cyrus entered the room. He stopped just short of Olivia's bed and took a deep breath. Seeing her like this was difficult for him too.

"Good morning, Mr. President.", he nodded. "How is she?"

Fitz didn't bother letting go of Olivia's hand.

"Nothing has changed. Her doctors told me last night that she crashed twice, suffered a collapsed lung and internal bleeding, and had to be operated on her brain. She hasn't woken up."

As he remembered the information the doctors had given him, Fitz wondered if this was what Olivia had felt like when she'd visited him in the hospital after the assassination attempt. The feeling of being so completely helpless and useless was all-consuming and it hurt him to think that Olivia had felt like that when it had been him fighting for his life.

"Good God.", Cyrus sighed, Fitz' words sinking in. "I've brought you a clean suit and shirt to change into before you return to the White House later. I don't want anyone to have an opportunity to notice you wearing the same outfit they've last seen you in."

"What if she doesn't wake up today? I don't want to leave her here alone, Cy."

"I know that. But we don't have a choice. Once I inform the press about you not being in D.C., speculations will begin. We can't afford to have you gone for more than 24 hours. I'm going to need you to walk back in there later today, preferably with a smile on your face."

"Somebody should be with her.", Fitz interjected, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

"Somebody will be. She has her team that's itching to see her and it's not easy to convince them that she can't have visitors quite yet. You are lucky her doctors are willing to keep up this charade for now."

Fitz head came up at the mention of Olivia's team. He knew how much they all meant to her and he also knew that they would do nearly anything for her. As he thought about it, he was surprised that it had been possible to keep them out of the hospital until now.

"So they know what happened to her?"

"Actually…", Cyrus began, "It was one of them who informed me. I got a call from this guy, Harrison, minutes after the crash. Apparently he thought the President would want to be informed."

A small smile played on Fitz' lips as he watched Cyrus raise an eyebrow at him. Olivia worked with good people – questionable, but certainly good.

"How did they know about it? So soon after it happened?"

"It seems like one of them is monitoring the local PD and such for cases like this.", Cyrus replied casually.

He had long stopped being surprised at the techniques that Olivia and her team used. According to Tom, who was still standing guard in front of Olivia's hospital room, all four team members had tried talking their way up to this hospital floor and into the room. Cyrus was sure all of them could see right through the doctor's attempts to keep them away, but they had no choice but to wait until they were allowed to see her.

"I'd like to stay until tonight.", Fitz spoke, interrupting Cyrus' musings.

"6 o'clock, Fitz. No later than that. We need to bring you back into the White House while it's still buzzing with activity. We need people to see you come in so there is no speculation about your whereabouts whatsoever."

Fitz nodded, understanding the plan, even though he didn't agree with it. He obviously needed to return to the White House sooner rather than later, and he knew Olivia's team would take turns just to make sure she was never alone, but he wanted to be the one that sat with her, held her hand, and was there when she would finally open her eyes.

"Every day, I need three hours cut out of my schedule to be with her here.", he bargained.

"Two hours and only at night, after you have officially retired to bed.", Cyrus allowed, his no-nonsense attitude leaving no room for discussion.

"Okay.", Fitz agreed, although getting through an entire day at the office seemed impossible right now. "What did you tell Mellie?"

Cyrus sighed heavily: "She was waiting for me when I returned to my office last night. I considered lying to her but it is impossible to keep her away once she's gotten wind of something not being in order. So I told her the truth."

"You did?"

"Yes. And let me tell you, I don't get paid enough to deal with her.", he answered, shaking his head. "She is furious, Fitz, as was to be expected. No matter what kind of condition your marriage is in, you should not be spending the night with your… with Olivia!"

"Cyrus, I'm not here because I'm having fun with Liv while my wife sits home alone, dammit.", Fitz replied angrily. "I'm here because for all we know, Olivia is hanging on by a thread!"

"You are here because you love her."

"Yes.", Fitz replied immediately. "This is where I need to be. What does Mellie want in return for her cooperation?"

"Nothing. I don't know what she has up her sleeve, but despite her being angry, she agreed to keep this quiet and go along with it. I swear to God, this is too easy. Something's going to happen, Mr. President."

"I don't care. I will deal with her when it comes to it. For now, it's a good thing."

Cyrus rolled his eyes, knowing that if Mellie would change her mind on this, it wouldn't be the President dealing with the fallout – it would be him. He didn't believe for one second that it was going to be this easy – that the First Lady would simply allow her husband to sit by his mistress' bedside day in and day out. Sooner or later, the fragile house of cards that was Fitz and Mellie's relationship would come crashing down once again.

"I have to get back to the White House and prepare for the press conference. I will see you tonight, Mr. President."

With those words, Cyrus leaned down and placed a fatherly kiss on top of Olivia's head. He looked at her for a moment and sighed.

"You hold on for us, Olivia. You are needed here."

Moments later, Fitz was left alone with her again. He began to gently stroke her hair, waiting for a sign – any sign – of her waking up.

Olivia slumbered on.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is where it gets interesting! I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Thank you for the reviews. Keep them coming!**

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On day three of the ordeal, Fitz returned to Olivia's hospital room to find her breathing tube removed. After questioning her doctors, he learnt that she had begun breathing on her own a few hours ago, which was a good sign and showed that her lung was healing well. Despite that, she did not wake up.

On day five, her bruises were beginning to fade in color and although they continued to be clearly visible, they no longer looked quite as angry. However, Olivia showed no obvious signs of coming out of her coma.

On day six, Fitz didn't make it to the hospital until almost midnight, and when he finally got there, he talked to Olivia for over an hour. He talked about his day, his children, the White House, and he talked about them. He whispered the story of their first meeting into her ear, retelling their story from his perspective, and he quietly told her that he loved her. That night, Fitz found the courage to kiss her lips for the first time in nearly a year. He held her face between his large hands carefully, and simply rested his own lips against her dry ones. Gently nuzzling his nose with hers, he told her goodnight.

On day eight, Fitz was nearly ready to give up. He could not concentrate on work, he felt on edge, and people were beginning to notice. Most days, he was quick to snap at people, and even Mellie had begun to stay away from him. Alcohol became his only confidant.

On day nine, at 3:14 in the afternoon, his office door flew up and then quickly slammed shut behind Cyrus.

"She has not woken up, but they have noticed movement in her fingers and a fluttering of her eye lids over the last couple of hours."

Immediately, the President was out of his chair and putting his suit jacket on.

"I'm going to see her."

"Fitz, it's the middle of the afternoon. Sneaking you out every damn night is bad enough, but you absolutely cannot walk out of here right now.", Cyrus hissed.

"Listen to me, Cyrus.", Fitz replied, stepping closer to his Chief of Staff. "Olivia may be waking up as we speak, and I will not allow her to be alone when it happens. So you can either figure out a way to get me out of here quietly within the next 15 minutes, or I can walk out myself."

Cyrus turned on his heels and walked towards the door, mumbling: "I could have taken early retirement, I could be gardening every damn day of my life, but no, instead I'm here, sneaking the damn President of the United States all over Washington."

Fitz knew that Cyrus Beene was the sole reason for his ability to walk into the hospital like it was the most normal thing in the world. Taking the elevator up to Liv's floor together with Tom and Hal made him more anxious than he had been any of the previous days. For a little over a week now, he had known what to expect when he came here. Today was different. He hoped and prayed that maybe Olivia would greet him with open eyes and one of her sweet smiles when he walked through her door.

When he did enter the room, his heart sank and his face fell. Olivia looked no different than she had in the nine days since her terrible accident. She was no longer attached to as many needles and the swelling of her face had gone down considerably, but she was still as asleep as she had been every other day.

He composed himself quickly and walked up to her bed. Fitz took a seat in the chair he had become so accustomed to and scooted close to her.

"Hi, beautiful.", he smiled. "I heard you were moving your fingers today? I'm here now, Livy. Open your eyes for me."

For a long time, he simply stared at her, hoping to catch any kind of movement. When nothing happened, Fitz did what he had been doing every time he came to see Olivia. He shrugged off his jacket, grabbed her hand with one of his own, and wrapped the other carefully around her head so he could comb his fingers through her hair. Then he began to talk about his day.

"… he is being very difficult, as expected. I wish you were awake to help me fix this, Liv."

He almost missed the barely-there touch, but suddenly Olivia's fingers twitched beneath his own. Holding her hand tighter, Fitz moved impossibly closer.

"Livy? Come on, sweet baby. I'm right here, just open your eyes for me.", he pleaded.

After a long, silent moment, her fingers moved again, slightly stronger than the first time. Fitz did not dare to take his eyes off her face. Finally, her eye lids twitched.

"That's it, Liv. I know you can hear me. I need you to wake up so I can tell you how sorry I am and how much I love you."

An agonizing two minutes later, Olivia Pope opened her eyes for the first time in nearly ten days. Her vision was blurry and it took her a moment to focus on the figure sitting next to her. When she tried to speak, there was nothing but a hoarse noise leaving her incredibly dry throat.

"Shh, shh. Don't try to talk just yet, Livy.", Fitz interrupted her, placing a finger against her lips carefully while his other hand was already reaching for the call button that would bring the nurse to her room.

Olivia watched him, confused. Fitz was smiling brightly at her, but tears were streaming down his handsome face. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed loving kisses against her palm over and over again. His tears were wetting her hand, and Olivia could feel her own eyes begin to well up at the sight of him.

"My sweet, beautiful Livy.", he cried quietly. "I was so afraid."

Before Olivia could try to talk again, two nurses entered the room. Fitz was asked to step away from the bed, and it took everything within him to not remind them that he was the President and should be allowed to stay right where he wanted to be.

"Miss Pope, I will give you a couple of ice chips and then you should be able to talk, alright?", a young nurse named Emma, who Fitz had seen many times over the last week and a half, advised.

Olivia nodded her head slowly and took too small ice chips into her mouth. As they began to melt on her tongue, she became aware of how raw her throat truly felt. Turning her head to the left a little, she found Fitz' across the room and met his eyes. He smiled at her encouragingly. Olivia didn't get a chance to talk before one of her doctors entered the room, greeting her with small smile and a nod.

"It's good to see you awake, Miss Pope. My name is Dr. Stuart and you have been in my care for the last few days.", he introduced himself. "Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital…", she rasped, having recognized the tell-tale white walls and clinical environment immediately.

"Correct. Do you remember what brought you here?"

Olivia shook her head slowly, trying to figure out what had happened to her. She felt a dull pain radiate throughout her body and her entire being felt weak and completely exhausted. Her eyes moved between the doctor and Fitz, and she realized the latter was no longer smiling.

"Ten days ago, you were in a car accident. To my understanding your car collided with a truck and you suffered severe injuries. You have been unconscious since you were first brought in. We performed surgery to repair excessive internal damage and also treated you for swelling of the brain. It's a good sign that you are awake and not disoriented, but we will have to run tests to see if any damage remains.", Dr. Stuart explained. "Let me tell you, Miss Pope, you are a very lucky woman. It was touch and go for a while there. If you have any questions or concerns, we will be more than happy to address them. For now, the best you can do is rest. Emma here will up your pain medication slightly to make you more comfortable."

"Thank you.", Olivia whispered, watching the doctor leave the room, his words beginning to sink in.

After several minutes, the nurses followed him outside and Olivia and Fitz were left alone. He reclaimed his seat by her bedside immediately and took hold of her small hand again.

"Hi.", he whispered, a handsome smile lighting up his tired face.

"Hi.", Olivia breathed, her eyes welling with unshed tears. "What are you doing here?"

She sounded so small, so sick, but still so much like his Livy. Fitz smiled at her.

"I wanted to be here when you woke up. Liv, I was so scared that you wouldn't pull through. Don't ever do this to me again."

"We're even now.", she whispered with a small smile, referring to his brush with death not too long ago.

"There's my Livy. Never afraid to say the things I don't want to hear.", he scolded lightly.

"Fitz?", Olivia asked carefully. "Why are you really here?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Reviews are love and I am definitely feeling the love! You guys are amazing. I know most of you probably expect the "big talk" in this chapter, but Olivia and Fitz don't make things simple like that. ;) Keep reading and reviewing! It's very much appreciated. **

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Fitz had learnt early on in life that being charming and having a way with words could get you out of many situations. With Olivia, however, he had never been able to use his charm to distract her or lead her into a different direction during a conversation. Sure, she had fallen for him, and in a way, that was proof that she was far from immune to his winning smile and convincing words, but she could give as good as she got, and Fitz knew he could not simply charm his way through the conversation they'd have to face.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to begin talking, when he felt Olivia's hand move within his tight grip. He loosened his fingers around hers slightly, and watched worriedly as her face contorted in pain.

"Olivia? Are you okay?"

"Yes.", she replied unconvincingly. "No. Everything hurts, Fitz."

"What can I do? Do you want me to call the doctor back in? Maybe they need to up your meds. Let me get…"

"No.", Olivia interrupted him, her voice still hoarse but beginning to clear up with every word she spoke. "I'll be okay. I'm sure the pain meds will kick in soon. My whole body just feels so sore. I'm complaining too much. I'm sorry."

Fitz snorted and ran a hand through her messy hair absentmindedly. Olivia noticed, and as much as she knew she should ask him to stop, she allowed him to continue because it soothed her headache and calmed her. Her hair had become a mess of unruly curls, and she realized that Fitz had actually never seen her like that. He didn't seem to mind.

"You've earned your right to complain, I think. Livy…", he sighed. "How are you really feeling?"

She hadn't forgotten that they had a lot to talk about, but for the moment, Olivia let it slide. Looking up at the President, she noticed how pale and tired he looked. The circles under his eyes were deep and dark and his shoulders were uncharacteristically slumped. She had seen him overworked and tired many times in the past, but Fitz looked very different now – almost as if it was that was ill. She squeezed his hand.

"I'm fine. I just feel very achy, but I guess that's to be expected."

"Do you remember anything that happened?", Fitz questioned.

"I don't know.", Olivia mumbled. "I remember leaving the office and driving home. I don't think I was far from my apartment. My light turned green, I think. And after that… I don't know, Fitz."

Tears were beginning to gather in her eyes, and she closed them quickly, trying to hold them at bay. Even though she could not recall the details of the accident, thinking about it made her feel uneasy and scared.

"It's okay.", he soothed. "It doesn't matter."

"What about the other driver?", she inquired.

"According to Cyrus, he suffered minor injuries and was released the morning after the accident. I don't know if he was charged with anything. The bastard should rot in jail…"

"Fitz.", Olivia interrupted him. "It was an accident."

"He almost killed you! Liv, he deserves the worst of punishments."

He sounded so angry, yet so deeply passionate about finding justice for her. It was one of the many things that had drawn Olivia to him: his passion for justice, his willingness to do what is right by law and by moral standards. Her mind drifted back to that fateful day on the campaign plane when she had decided to give her okay to the election rigging. Olivia had never regretted putting this man into the White House because she truly believed that he belonged there, that he had so much to give to this country. But she regretted how it all happened – how he found out about it and especially how much her betrayal had shook him to the core.

Fitz felt it the minute he lost her. Her body began to stiffen and she turned her head away from him to stare at the ceiling. He was unsure what had caused the sudden change within her, but Fitz believed that she was simply putting her defenses back up after allowing him to be close for a short while.

Swallowing, he began: "I know we have things to talk about…"

"Stop.", Olivia whispered, her body recoiling even further. "Please don't…"

"I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about anything. I'm sorry, Liv."

She wasn't sure if Fitz was apologizing for the conversation they should be having with one another, or if he was sorry for what had transpired between them long before the accident. The need to finally have this talk was almost overwhelming, but at the same time it seemed like an unbearable task. They were both so intelligent and eloquent, but neither had the ability to find the right words when it came to their relationship and all the problems they had created for themselves and each other.

"I know I asked you why you are really here, but I don't know if I can talk about this now.", Olivia whispered, feeling cowardly.

"It's alright.", Fitz soothed her gently. "We have time, Livy. All that matters right now is that you get better and regain your strength. Everything else can wait until later."

Part of him felt relieved because he did not know if he could talk to her about all the things that had gone wrong. But another part of him – one that he had literally tried to drown over the course of the last few months – wanted to hear her explanations and be able to offer her an apology as well.

"I hurt you.", she interrupted his thoughts. "But you hurt me too. So much."

Fitz knew this, but it still stung to have Olivia voice her pain – the pain he had caused her. He remembered the moment he'd found out about Defiance. Hollis' betrayal he could deal with. Verna's was more surprising but did not faze him much either. Cyrus and Mellie should not have surprised him, because they did everything they did for him as much as they did it for themselves. Finding out about Olivia, however, his _Livy, _had literally knocked the wind out of him. Fitz had never taken the time to understand why she had done it, and he had never given Olivia the chance to explain herself, but just the thought of her playing a role in a betrayal this monumental, this important, made his heart ache. Yes, he was hurt by his wife and his closest confidant taking it upon themselves to illegally decide the presidential election, but nothing could compare to the pain of learning about Olivia's involvement. Did he have the right to hurt her in return? For nearly a year, Fitz had believed that he had every right to hurt her. Now that he had spent over a week fearing that he may never hear her voice again, never see another sweet smile forming on her lips, Fitz was beginning to feel differently.

"I know. We both made so many mistakes."

Olivia nodded her head yes, but did not offer him more than that.

"Maybe… maybe you should go.", she finally whispered.

This, he should have seen coming. When the words did leave her mouth, though, it felt like a punch to his gut. Fitz did not want to stress her in the fragile state she was in both physically and mentally, and he certainly did not want to push the issues they had to discuss. But still, he truly did not want to be asked to leave. Now that Olivia was awake and slowly recovering, he wasn't sure whether he still had a valid reason to leave the White House on a daily basis. Up until now, it had been made possible by Cyrus and his security team, but Fitz knew that his Chief of Staff's patience was beginning to wear extremely thin. He glanced at Olivia's face and paused for a moment. She wasn't really looking at him, but every now at then he would notice her eyes flicker to his face, almost as if she was trying to see his reaction to her words. When she caught him looking at her, and blush spread across her cheeks and Fitz couldn't help but smile slightly.

"If that's what you want, Liv, I will leave."

"I think you should.", she replied, but sounded so unconvinced that he almost wanted to fight her decision.

"Okay.", Fitz nodded, trying to show her his understanding and respect.

He stood and moved the chair back towards the window, away from its spot by her bed. Then he gathered his suit jacket and put it on. Olivia watched him, wishing things were simpler between them. Wishing she could ask him to stay with her. When Fitz was dressed and ready to leave, he stepped up to Olivia's bedside. For the past few days, he had been able to indulge in telling her that he loved her. He had even been able to leave her with a soft kiss each night before he left the hospital. Now, however, Fitz feared that he wouldn't be able to do either one.

"I will see you soon, Livy.", he sighed, hesitating.

After a long, silent moment, Fitz leaned down, cupped her cheek and placed a lingering kiss on Olivia's forehead. He felt more than heard the quick, surprised intake of breath when his lips met her soft skin. Olivia could feel her skin heat again, and her heart had begun to beat faster. Having him this close still felt as overwhelming as it ever had.

"Goodbye.", she offered after Fitz had straightened up.

She wanted to say more to him – so much more – but she simply did not feel like she could talk about any of their problems right now. Her gaze followed Fitz as he walked towards the door, his head hanging low. He looked crushed. Just before he was out of sight, he paused, almost as if he had remembered something. After a long moment, Olivia watched him shake his head and leave. As soon as the door closed with a thud, Olivia began to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Somebody mentioned a spelling mistake in the last chapter. English is not my first language, and although I try my best, sometimes mistakes sneak in somewhere. I apologize for that. I'm very happy to see that people are still liking this story. I know Liv and Fitz are kind of a pain in the you-know-what right now, but that's why we love them. ;) This chapter is somewhat of a filler but it sets us up for what's to come! Keep reading and reviewing! **

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For the next three days, visitors came and went. Olivia had a chance to see her team, consisting of an extremely happy Quinn whose excitement and contagious smile were a welcome pick-me-up, Abby and Harrison who were not as emotional as Quinn but no less happy, and Huck who stared at Olivia intently for a long time and then squeezed her hand so hard that she thought he might just crush it in the process. His reaction to seeing her awake told her more than words ever could have. This group of intelligent misfits made her feel very much supported and loved. Cyrus stopped by a couple of days after she had woken up, greeting her with a careful hug and a get-well-soon note from the White House, signed by both the President and the First Lady. It made Olivia snort, knowing that Cyrus had probably forged both of their signatures. She received many cards much like this one, from senators, congressmen and –women, White House staff she had worked with, and many others. The small table in her hospital room was decorated with expensive flower bouquets and notes written on fancy paper from the who-is-who of scandalous politicians she had helped.

Olivia did not hear from Fitz again, and she almost caved and asked Cyrus about him, but decided against it in the very last moment. After all, she had asked him to leave the day she had woken up, and he was only respecting her wishes. Still, it stung more than it should have to not see him or hear from him. She had lasted many months without him, but now that Olivia had been able to lay eyes on him, it was difficult to go back to being away from Fitz. Her thoughts were interrupted when a nurse entered her room carrying her daily dose of medications.

"Hi Emma.", Olivia smiled, carefully pulling herself to sit upright in bed.

Moving around was still causing her some pain, but she was beginning to feel better and working towards finally being allowed to actually walk again.

"Hello Olivia!", the young nurse smiled, placing a colorful assortment of pills on her nightstand.

In the days she had been awake, Olivia had met several nurses, but Emma had quickly become her favorite. She was bubbly and energetic, and she always entered the room with a smile on her face. Most of all, she seemed passionate about her job – something Olivia could identify with greatly.

"How are you feeling today?", she asked, checking Olivia's blood pressure.

"Good. Actually, I think I'm ready to get out of this bed and go for a walk.", she smirked, adding an exaggerated wink.

"Yeah, right! Nice try, I have to give you that.", Emma laughed.

She handed Olivia the small plastic cup of pills and a glass of water. Then she adjusted the final IV that remained hooked up to her patient's arm. Olivia sighed, swallowing the tasteless pills one by one and then tossing the pill container into the trash and handing the glass back to Emma.

"I really do feel better. How much longer do you think it will be before I can get up?"

Emma smiled knowingly. "I know you're sick of being in this bed, but we don't want to take any risks, Olivia. However, I may or may not have overheard Dr. Stuart saying that he wants you to start walking tomorrow."

"Seriously?", Olivia beamed. "I am so ready to be back on my feet."

"You're telling me! I've never seen another patient that moves around so much in a small hospital bed."

Although the comment made Olivia blush, she knew it was true. The first day she had not felt like doing much of anything at all, but for the last couple of days, she had been itching to get up and get her life back on track. Her chest only hurt when she moved too much, and the cuts and bruises didn't bother her unless she touched them. Olivia had winced the first time she'd seen herself in the little compact mirror that Abby had provided, the bruises and the long cut on her face an ugly reminder of the accident. According to her doctors, the incision on the side of her head, just above her ear, was healing nicely and Olivia had already adjusted her hair to cover the spot. She was dying for a hot shower, but so far she had only been allowed the humiliation of a sponge bath. For an independent woman like Olivia, this was just short of torture.

"And when do you think I'm getting out of here?", Olivia questioned.

"I really can't answer that question. Once we have you up and walking, the doctors will be able to tell you more. To be quite honest though, I think you're looking at another week at least."

Olivia sighed, but nodded her head in understanding. She did, of course, want to make sure that she was better before she'd be left to herself at home, but being in the hospital made her feel terribly useless. Now that she was beginning to feel more like herself again, Olivia wanted to get back to her office, back to the busy schedule she often loathed but now missed so much. She simply wanted to be allowed to be independent again.

"Alright. I'll be patient."

"Of course.", Emma snorted. "That's exactly the kind of word I would use to describe you."

"I figured. People say it's one of my greatest strength.", Olivia joked.

A beat passed, and Olivia's observation skills told her that Emma was thinking about something.

"So, let me just get the elephant in the room out of the way. How's sexy Mr. President doing today?"

Olivia sputtered, the nurse's bold questions causing her eyes to widen. She certainly had not seen this one coming. Instantly, she felt her skin grow hot. Nobody had ever been so forward, so candid in questioning her relationship with the President of the United States. Before she could think of a good answer, Emma spoke up.

"I am so sorry! Sometimes I don't know how to keep my mouth shut. Forget I ever asked. I apologize, Olivia."

"It's okay.", Olivia whispered in a small voice.

She had known that at least some of the hospital staff had seen Fitz with her the day she had woken up, but she had assumed that Cyrus made sure everyone involved had signed a non-disclosure agreement before the President ever set foot into this hospital. For Emma to ask her about him at all, made Olivia wonder how much she had actually witnessed – and who else had seen them that day.

"No, it's really not. It obviously makes you uncomfortable to talk about him. Or the two of you…", Emma trailed off.

Olivia wanted to smack her forehead but remembered the cuts and bruises and thought better of it. How could Fitz have been so negligent to come see her the day she woke up? He should have known – Cyrus should have known – that people would see them and they would talk. One nurse would whisper to another one that the President of the United States – the very married President – was holding a female patient's hand, a patient that once worked for him. Then, that small whisper would carry through the halls of the hospital until it became a well-known rumor, and from there on it wouldn't take long for someone to run to the media with it, hoping for a big pay-day or a moment of fame. In her head, Olivia was already trying to fix the problem before it actually turned into one.

"I get it, Olivia. Nobody should be talking about it because he's the President and he is married.", she stopped then, and Olivia could see her biting her lip, almost as if she meant to say more. "I don't blame him, though. The First Lady does seem a little stiff."

She knew she really shouldn't, but Olivia couldn't help but laugh at that. Mellie tried so hard to look approachable and likable to the nation, any many people that never took the time to observe the First Lady closely saw her as just that, but this young woman was anything but fooled. Her chest began to hurt and she placed a hand against it, forcing herself to calm down. She liked Emma, she really did.

"I don't know what you saw that day when I woke up, Emma. I will not insult your intelligence by telling you that there was nothing to see, but I need you to promise me that none of this will leave the room."

"Of course not.", Emma interrupted her quickly.

"F… the President should not have been here that day, let's just leave it at that and never mention it again."

When Olivia looked up at her nurse again, she noticed her face was edged with hesitance and confusion. She watched the young women bite her lip again – something Olivia had already deciphered as a nervous trait – before she finally opened her mouth to talk.

"Olivia, he wasn't just here when you woke up. That man sat by your bedside every single day since the moment we wheeled you into this room."


	7. Chapter 7

**Your reviews make me SO happy. Thank you! I'm not sure if people will love me or hate me for this chapter. I am always a few chapters ahead in writing, and I absolutely love the last couple of chapters that I've typed up, so I can't wait to post them soon.**

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Even hours after Emma's revelation, Olivia could not stop thinking about it. The nurse had told her how Fitz had been waiting in her room when she was brought there after the surgery – and continued to stay with her the entire night and the following day. But it had not stopped there. According to Emma, the President had returned to the hospital every day for several hours, and it was anything but a coincidence that he was there when she woke up. He had authorized himself to all her medical information and had spoken to her doctors every day.

Olivia could not believe he had been so reckless, and the people he worked with – Cyrus especially – had simply allowed him to do this like in was no problem at all. She was angry with him, furious actually, but that was not all she felt. Deep down, Olivia also felt moved by the idea that a man – _this man_ – was willing to risk his own safety simply to sit by her side. Shaking her head, she sighed. His actions were so stupid, so recklessly dumb that she wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into him.

It was also the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone had ever done for her.

By the time Olivia had gathered her thoughts and decided what she needed to do, it was already dark outside and her tray of hospital food had come and gone untouched. She watched her own fingers trace the screen of her phone that had never not been used for so many days, and she was thankful that she had remembered to charge it earlier. After what seemed like forever, Olivia pushed the call button, but before she even heard the second ring, she hung up. Groaning, she tossed the phone into her lap and began picking at her nails. She really needed a manicure, and a shower, and God knows she _needed_ to fix the mess that was her hair. It was becoming increasingly uncomfortable to be not put together like she usually was. Her musings were interrupted by the shrill sound of her cell phone ringing in her lap. Olivia grabbed it and answered without checking the caller I.D.

"Hello?"

"Olivia, how are you?"

She sighed, slowly sliding deeper into the hospital bed. If she was being honest with herself, Olivia had hoped to hear a different voice.

"I'm good, Cyrus. Getting better every day. How are you? How's the baby."

"Grumpy. And drinking too much.", Cyrus snorted any Olivia knew exactly that he was referring to Fitz even though he knew she had been asking about the baby girl Cyrus and his husband had adopted not long ago.

"Cyrus…", she sighed. "I…"

"Sorry, sorry. I know he's not your problem anymore."

"He's not anyone's 'problem'.", Olivia interrupted, not knowing why she felt the need to defend the President.

"You know that's not what I meant. He's just not the man we helped put into office. And your accident almost pushed him over the edge."

Olivia felt a sense of guilt rise up within her, although she realized that she couldn't have done anything to avoid the accident or ease Fitz' worries. Still, maybe he would have been okay if they had kept up their mutual silence. Then Olivia realized that she had never been okay, even when she didn't have to talk to him or see him, so it only made sense that he had never been okay either. And now that they had been in the same room, that Fitz had even held her hand, they were basically back to where they had ended things ten months ago. After the long silence on Olivia's end became too heavy, Cyrus cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry. I really only called to check up on you."

"Thank you. I am going to be just fine in no time.", Olivia assured him, even though her words sounded unconvincing even to her own ears.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, Olivia Pope. Goodnight."

Smiling slightly at his words, Olivia bid Cyrus goodnight and waited to hear him hang up. She didn't allow herself to overthink things again and quickly dialed a familiar phone number. It only took a few seconds for her to absorb the information she was already familiar with. Then, Olivia hung up and waited. When her phone didn't ring after several moments, she almost lost hope and debated turning her cell phone off for the night.

Finally, the ring came.

"Hello?", Olivia whispered, holding her breath.

"Hi Livy."

His voice was so deep and smooth and she instantly felt a sense of calm wash over her. Olivia had been so on edge ever since her conversation with the nurse, and even though talking to Fitz made her extremely nervous, it also soothed her.

"She said you asked that I call you.", Fitz told her, referring to his assistant. "Are you okay?"

The concern he had for her and her well-being warmed Olivia's heart. Even after everything they had put each other through, he cared.

"I'm fine. I just… wanted to talk to you."

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about all of this just yet.", Fitz told her, and even though he tried to mask it, she could hear the hint of accusation in his voice.

Olivia decided to opt for the direct approach, whispering: "You were here every day, Fitz? Why?"

He swallowed. Of course, people had witnessed his every visit, but Fitz had almost hoped nobody would ever tell Olivia about it. He had cared enough to risk being caught every day for nearly two weeks, but did he really want Olivia to know that he cared that much? After everything that had happened, Fitz wanted her to realize that nothing had changed – he was still so upset with her, still felt so betrayed. But now, she'd know that things had changed after all. That no matter what, he could never be mad enough to not come running when she was in danger, or sick, or struggling. Now, Olivia knew that he had come to her the second he had felt that she needed him. Suddenly, an unwanted thought crossed his mind. What if she hadn't needed him? What if he had only thought he was needed?

"Fitz?", she repeated.

"Who told you?"

"That doesn't matter. Answer my question, Fitz."

He almost smiled then. The fire was returning in Olivia Pope. She sounded angry. His thoughts sobered when he considered his answer.

"Because I still care, okay? I hate every single second of it, but I care about your well-being."

"You _care_? You practically called me your whore and now you're telling me that you care about me?", Olivia seethed.

"You lied to me. You betrayed me.", Fitz replied with an eerily quiet voice. "You made me a fraud, Olivia. You've lost your right to accuse me of anything."

"Dammit, Fitz! I did it for you. Won't you ever understand that? I did it because I always knew that you would be a good president – a great one even. And I am sorry for not being honest with you, but that doesn't mean you get to treat me the way you did!"

Olivia's anger was bubbling at the surface, ready to explode at any moment. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this conversation at least somewhat civil. On the other end of the line, Fitz was feeling equally as agitated. His anger seemed more subdued than hers, and he was a lot more quiet, but those who knew him as well as Olivia did, understood that he was much more dangerous when he was quietly upset over something. As much as Fitz was aggravated, he also felt alive for the first time in ten months. Olivia Pope made him feel alive even when she was driving him up a wall.

"You did it for yourself, Liv. Just like the others that were in on this. You committed a crime, Olivia, legally and morally, so every single person on that table of cool kids you guys seem to run could get something they'd always wanted."

"Don't you dare say that!", Olivia replied, raising her voice. "You do not get to say that! I did everything I did for you, to make your dreams come true."

"You think this was my dream? Being locked up in an office every day of my life, never seeing my kids, never being able to do what I want to do? That wasn't my dream, Olivia. It was Mellie's and Cy's. It was yours!"

"No.", she whispered, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "It was never my dream to have you where I can see you every day but never actually reach you. I wanted you to be president, God knows I did and still do, but this is not a perfect world for me either. This is not my dream, Fitz."

He listened to her taking deep breaths, probably to calm herself down and keep the tears at bay. Considering her words, he was reminded again that Olivia was suffering too. If nothing else, they were at least suffering together.

"You asked me why I was there every day.", Fitz reminded her. "I was there because I couldn't be anywhere else, Livy. I was there because I love you."

Then the line went dead.


	8. Chapter 8

**I love, love, LOVE reading your reviews. It's so interesting to see what people think happened or will happen, all the while knowing what I have already written for future chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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I was there because I love you.

Because I love you.

I love you.

His words were the only thing on her mind the next morning as Olivia sat in her bed waiting for her doctor to arrive for the daily check-up. Fitz had always been so willing to wear his heart on his sleeve where Olivia was concerned, and this time around was no exception. She wondered if he had really meant to say those words, or if they were simply something that had slipped out in the heat of the moment. But even if they had, wouldn't that still mean that he meant them? Then again, he'd called Olivia a mistress in the heat of the moment. Did it mean Fitz had meant _that_ too? She couldn't remember ever being so thoroughly confused by a man.

"Morning!", Olivia's nurse chirped as she entered the hospital room with Dr. Stuart in tow.

"Good morning.", she smiled in return, although it was slightly forced. "Good morning Dr. Stuart."

"Ms. Pope.", he nodded, walking up to her bed and checking the charts that the nurses had updated several times a day. "You are looking much better."

"I feel much better. It's taken a while but I think I am finally ready to start moving outside of this bed."

In the background, Emma snorted, but continued to check Olivia's blood pressure in silence. Quite frankly, she was not surprised that her patient had brought this up the moment she'd had a chance and she really hoped Dr. Stuart would finally allow her to take her first steps since the accident.

"So I've heard.", Dr. Stuart smiled. "Here's what I would like to do. I want to run another scan on your brain today just to be 100% sure that you are clear. Your speech is fine and your hand-eye coordination is excellent as well, but I don't want to take any risks when we do let you get out of bed. We'll be doing a few tests on your lung as well, to see if you are on your way to full lung capacity. Once we're through with all of that, and as long as everything comes back clear, you are welcome to get out of bed."

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time.", Olivia beamed.

"It's going to be a few hours before we will have all the results back, so please don't expect to be walking before later tonight.", the doctor informed her. "Also, you need to understand that you have been off your feet for two weeks now, so taking that and your injuries into consideration, those first steps will not be easy. You are going to have to let a nurse help you and you may even need the support of a walker in the beginning."

Olivia huffed, but understood. She would do whatever it took to get back on her feet, and if that meant allowing people to help her along the way, she would gladly welcome that help.

"Emma will take you down for the scan when they are ready for you. I will see you later on with the results, Ms. Pope."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Stuart."

Hours later, Olivia found herself back in her room, poking the undefinable object on the plate in front of her. She wasn't one to complain, but the hospital food looked so unappetizing that she considered skipping dinner again. A good glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn didn't seem to be an option, but Olivia would have settled for anything other than this. She sighed and pushed the tray out of the way. A nurse entered the room then, an older one that Olivia had only seen once before.

"Not hungry, Ms. Pope?", she asked and Olivia shook her head slightly.

"If you could leave it here, I might have a few bites later."

"Sure, sure. But I didn't come here to pick up your tray. I am here to make you walk."

Olivia almost squealed. The temporary bad mood that the sad excuse of food had provided was completely forgotten, and she quickly pushed the white sheet off her body, exposing her legs. She wiggled her toes and moved her feet, almost as if she was trying to warm them up and get them ready to do their job for the first time in what felt like forever.

"You might not be quite this excited once we get you up and standing and everything hurts.", the nurse smiled, moving the single chair in Olivia's room closer to the window to allow them more space to work with.

"I don't even care anymore. I am just so ready to get started.", Olivia replied, her smile growing wider.

Truthfully, she was a little bit scared because she was not sure what she could expect. Olivia's legs had not been injured and she didn't think they would cause her any pain, but she knew they would definitely be weak.

"Alright then, Ms. Pope, let's get started! Here's how this is going to work. We'll move you to sit at the edge of your bed and from there you can slide down until your feet hit the floor. I will support you when you get up, and if you are feeling okay, we'll try walking."

Olivia nodded her head eagerly and wiggled her way towards the side of the bed, carefully swinging her legs over the edge. As soon as she did so, she realized how heavy they truly felt. Her smile fell momentarily but she reminded herself that no matter what, anything would be better than lying in bed day in and day out. Her feet touched the cold floor and Olivia moved her toes until they found her slippers that the nurse had pushed close to the bed for her.

"Okay. I'm ready.", Olivia breathed, looking up at the nurse.

"I will support you on this side and you can push yourself off the bed with your right hand, alright?"

"Sounds good."

Finally, Olivia was standing on her own two feet for the first time in weeks. And it hurt. Her legs felt weak and wobbly and the upright position was putting a strain on her upper body. She knew that the nurse's support was more than needed, but having her experienced hands under her arm and around her waist was uncomfortable. Giving up, however, never even crossed Olivia's mind. She slowly shuffled one foot forward, then added the second one. Repeating the same movements four more times, Olivia found herself in the middle of the small room – and completely exhausted.

"Are you ready to move back to the bed? You don't want to over-do it the very first time."

"Just a couple more steps?", Olivia asked, trying to push herself just a little bit further.

She knew that she couldn't push it too far, but she was not ready to give up yet. It felt like she had walked a mile, but Olivia knew that in reality, she had barely moved at all. Her foot was carefully inching forward again when a deep voice literally froze her in place.

"I've got it from here.", he spoke softly, his presence in the room instantly overwhelming.

Olivia felt her nurse step away without complaint and her helping hands were replaced by his much larger ones. Her heart nearly stopped beating when they gently wrapped themselves around her slender waist. Olivia barely registered the quiet click of the door closing behind the nurse. The tall body behind her felt like a brick wall and despite her nerves, Olivia felt more secure now than when she had to rely on the nurse for support. She could feel the muscles in her thighs quiver after having gone unused for so long, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stand up, let alone walk for much longer. Instinctively, Olivia placed her own hands around his wrists, because she needed something to hold on to.

"What are you doing here?"

"That questions is getting old now, don't you think, Ms. Pope?", he replied, and Olivia could hear the smile in his voice.

"Fitz…", she warned, but before he could answer her again, she hissed in pain as her left foot slipped slightly.

"We need to get you back to bed, Livy.", Fitz whispered, carefully ushering her forward.

Olivia took a couple of steps in silence, fighting the growing pain and the feeling of utter exhaustion and weakness. She stopped with the bed still half a room away, and Fitz' hands tightened around her waist. He had long since sensed that Olivia was fighting to keep walking, but he knew she would never admit it to him.

"If I pick you up, will it hurt you?"

"What?", she asked, surprised.

"If I pick you up right now to help you into bed, will I be hurting you?"

"No.", Olivia breathed, not knowing if that would hold true or not, because quite frankly, nobody had ever picked her up while she was recovering from serious injuries.

His body dipped slightly behind her, and Olivia felt his right hand move down her leg before wrapping around the backs of her knees. Fitz' other arm curved around her back and finally, he lifted her body into his arms. Olivia hissed in pain, but he quickly adjusted her in his embrace to make her more comfortable. For a moment, the President simply stood there, letting her weight settle into his arms. Olivia was pressed into his chest, and it was the best feeling he'd had in longer than he cared to remember. A hesitant hand moved up his chest and eventually wrapped around his neck. Neither of them spoke as Fitz took Olivia over to her bed with two long steps.

Lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed, Fitz kept her in his arms and leaned in to speak to her. Olivia's face was caught between his head and shoulder, and in a moment of temporary insanity she allowed herself to inhale the scent that was so him, so _Fitz_.

"We cannot keep doing what we've been doing, Liv.", he whispered into her ear, his breath warming her sensitive skin there. "These broken conversations and over-the-phone fights are only making all this worse than it already is, so I came here to really, actually talk. About everything. Are you ready for that?"

"Yes.", Olivia replied, and Fitz breathed a sigh of relief.

He shifted with the intention of moving Olivia's body into her bed, but she stiffened in his arms.

"Fitz?", she asked quietly, and he felt the movement of her lips against his neck. "Before we… before we talk, can we just stay like this. Just… one minute?"

"Always.", he shivered, getting lost in the feeling of her body curling itself tighter into his safe embrace.


	9. Chapter 9

**The amount of reviews you are leaving me for this story is astonishing. I am SO happy. Please keep them coming, I'd love to hit 100 reviews soon. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter; I loved writing it.**

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Some of the tension that had kept him wound up tight for so long left Fitz' body as he allowed Olivia's much smaller frame to curl into him. She was firmly placed in his lap, and he cradled her much like one would a small child. Olivia's head remained tucked into the crook of his neck, and Fitz' upper body and arms formed a cocoon around her. For the first time since the accident, she felt absolutely no pain. The tips of his fingers had begun to run soothing circles up and down her back. Without a conscious thought Olivia allowed her fingers to play with the short curls at the nape of his neck, and she felt his sigh against her cheek.

Fitz remembered many times in the past when he had wanted to kiss her. Sometimes, it had been out of pure lust. Sometimes, it had been to place a quick, sweet peck on her lips just because he could. Now, he was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her solely because he could not imagine going another moment without feeling her plumb lips against his own again. He let his lips rest against her soft cheek, mindful of any cuts or bruises that still remained, then gently kissed his way to the corner of her mouth. Fitz let them rest there, not wanting to push Olivia further than he thought she was ready for. She could feel the quick heartbeat against her chest, but couldn't be sure if it was her own or his. It seemed like her body had developed a mind of its own and before she could change her mind, Olivia's lips were slowly kissing his neck where his pulse beat strongly.

"We can't, Fitz.", she whispered, and her breath tickled his skin in the most tantalizing of ways.

"I know.", he replied, but his lips inched closer to their desired destination.

"One minute.", Olivia breathed, finally tilting her head upward.

Those words had never sounded better to his ears. Fitz pulled her full upper lip between his own, and kissed it gently. The sigh that escaped her throat fueled his longing even more, and he pecked her lips over and over again. Olivia tipped her head to the side to allow him better access, and Fitz didn't waste a second to trail his tongue along her lips, waiting for her to open her mouth to his. Every cell in her brain told Olivia to pull back because it was too dangerous, but every cell in her body was telling her otherwise. So she opened her mouth to his, and when their tongues met, she wished this minute would never end. Fitz kissed her like a man with purpose, one large hand cupping her face while the other one remained wrapped around her body protectively. Her tongue playing with his own felt so good, and somehow the kiss was more intimate than most of their sexual encounters had ever been. Eventually, Olivia broke away from the kiss to catch her breath.

"We need to stop…", she reminded Fitz, even though she sounded anything but convincing.

"My minute isn't over yet.", Fitz breathed against her lips, feeling hers bloom into a smile.

"Mr. President…", Olivia warned, and he knew he was going to be in trouble.

"I know. I know."

With a regretful sigh, Fitz turned sideways and gently lowered Olivia from her place in his lap onto the bed. He watched as she got situated under the covers, a faint blush coloring her cheeks because she knew he was staring at her. She always looked so good when she had been thoroughly kissed. Finally, Olivia seemed to be comfortable, and Fitz debated whether he should pull up a chair or continue to sit on the bed with her. He decided that it would be better for them to have some distance between their bodies once they'd start what was to be the most important talk of their relationship. Moving from the bed, Fitz grabbed the chair he'd become so accustomed to, and sat down by her bed. The self-confident Olivia he had kissed just moments ago was replaced by her shy alter-ego, and Fitz felt his own self-confidence leave along with hers.

"Before you say anything, Fitz, I want you to know that I am sorry. I truly am."

"I know that, I've always known that, but what I cannot wrap my mind around is why. Why did you ever do this to me, Liv?"

She sighed: "Because I truly believed – still believe – that you needed to become President of the United States. Even as a candidate, you had so much to give, and I just…"

"Stop.", he interrupted her. "I don't want any more well-rehearsed Olivia Pope answers. I can't take them anymore. I want – need – a Livy answer."

He didn't sound angry this time, just sad and defeated. Had she really caused this? Had she made this strong man feel so devastated? Olivia gulped, hoping to be able to keep the tears at bay that were threatening to overwhelm her.

"When they told me about the rigging, I was so appalled.", Olivia began quietly. "I told them no, and we agreed that it wouldn't be done unless we were all on board with it. Every time new numbers came in, you were so close. In the grand scheme of things, it seemed like we only needed a handful more, and you'd be President. And I really, truly believed we could win it – _you_ could win it."

Fitz listened intently, and watched her struggle to collect herself before she continued.

"Then your dad died. The day of his funeral, when I found you in the backyard, I didn't see Governor Grant that was supposed to become President, I didn't see Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III that was destined to be President. For the first time I saw _Fitz_ who wanted to be President of the United States. I saw _my_ Fitz – the man who… who I had fallen in love with – wanting to be the man I know he could be. I think that's the moment I changed my mind."

A lone tear escaped Olivia's eye and ran down her cheek. Fitz watched it catch on her upper lip, and he almost reached out to wipe it away. She sounded so sincere that he believed her words, but that didn't mean that he could understand how she had been able to commit a crime.

"I gave them my okay to rig the voting, Fitz. And when I saw your face the day you finally did win, I knew I had done the right thing. Not legally, and probably not even morally right, but right because it made_ you_ my President."

"Liv, you broke the law. I'm not even supposed to be the President.", Fitz interjected.

"But you are, and I wouldn't change that for anything!", she cried. "I don't regret making sure you are voted into office, but I do regret not being honest to you. I regret that more than anything else. You need to believe that."

Olivia reached out for his hand and he let her take it. She squeezed it tightly and looked straight into his eyes. Her own tears were reflected in his eyes.

"I am sorry for betraying you, Fitz. I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you."

Her tears were flowing freely now, and this time, Fitz did reach out to wipe them away. Olivia leaned into his touch, and allowed him to soothe her.

"I'm sorry too.", Fitz admitted. "The things I said to you… it wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. I knew that my words would hurt you, Liv, and it was wrong of me to say them anyway. But I felt so used and betrayed, that I _wanted_ to hurt you. Once I had said them, I couldn't turn back. I… I wanted you to feel every bit as devastated as I felt when I found out about Defiance. It crushed me, and I wanted to crush you in return because you were the only person I ever trusted without any reservation."

"When you called me your mistress…", Olivia began, the sound of the word causing Fitz to flinch. "…a part of me died. Deep down, I knew that's exactly what I was – the mistress of a married man – but it hurt so much to know you thought of me as one."

"No.", he interrupted her, scooting himself as close as possible to her. "You were never a mistress, Olivia. I chose to call you that because I knew it would cut you deeply, and for that I am sorry. It was cruel of me, but I need you to understand that I could never think of you as something so low. If I could, your involvement in Defiance wouldn't have hurt me so much."

"You broke my heart, Fitz.", she whispered, but her voice held no accusation.

"And you broke mine.", he replied, utterly defeated.

A beat passed, and Fitz simply held her hand between his two larger ones, stroking his thumb across her palm.

"I couldn't move on.", Olivia finally breathed. "I _can't_ move on."

"Neither can I.", he admitted. "For ten months I pretended that I could, that I was okay without you. But then you were hurt and I could no longer convince myself that I was going to be alright without you. I don't want to need you so much, but I do."

"I need you too. But, Fitz, nothing has changed. We are still the same people… we have still done the same hurtful things to one another."

For a long time, they sat in silence, both trying to comprehend everything that had happened. Then, it was Fitz' deep voice that cut through the air like a knife.

"I forgive you."

Olivia's head snapped up and fresh tears gathered in her eyes immediately. She had longed to hear those words for nearly a year.

"I forgive you too.", she cried quietly.

He brought her hand up to his face and kissed it, trying to convey all the emotion he felt at that moment. She had told him mere minutes ago that nothing had changed, but with their consentaneous admissions, _everything_ had changed.

"Where does this leave us?", Fitz dared to ask, his voice almost fearful.

"I don't know.", Olivia admitted, and he hated how defeated she sounded at that moment. "We can't go back to the way things were before all of this."

"I know. But maybe… maybe we can start fresh. Maybe we can re-build the trust we once had in each other."

Olivia thought about his words, and wondered if they were being foolish. No matter what, at the end of the day he would still always be the married President of the United States and she would be the high-profile fixer and his biggest secret. Then again, if being foolish meant to get another chance with him, maybe it was exactly what she needed to do.

"Okay.", she agreed. "We start fresh."

The genuine smile that lit up his face warmed Olivia's heart so deeply that it almost ached. The tiny lines around his eyes crinkled, and his expressive blue orbs sparkled with pure happiness. She watched Fitz release her hand and stand up. Then he extended his right hand to her and waited for her to return the gesture in confusion. He shook her hand and smiled goofily.

"Hi. My name is Fitz, and I would like to get to know you."

"Olivia.", she replied with a giggle. "But you can call me Livy."


	10. Chapter 10

**The amount of reviews, favorites, and follows is CRAZY! You guys are incredible. I'm so glad people seemed to like the chapter. Somebody pointed out how Fitz went to the hospital to see Liv in last week's episode just like he did in this story. My jaw dropped! No need to copy my ideas, Shonda, I'll come work for you. ;) **

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Twenty-three days after the accident that almost took her life, Olivia walked out of the hospital and into a sunny Washington D.C. afternoon. Harrison was by her side carrying her bag, and she was thankful that he had come to pick her up and take her home. Olivia took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. Over three weeks of being surrounded by typical hospital scents and sounds had made her realize how nice it was to be outside and feel the sunshine on her skin. When they reached her apartment, she allowed Harrison to walk her into her home and help her get situated, and when he was sure that she was okay, he left her with a kiss on the cheek and a smile. Olivia had questioned him and the rest of the team constantly about the state of Olivia Pope & Associates and they had assured her that things were running smoothly. They hadn't accepted any new clients without her, but they had wrapped up a few cases and made sure Olivia's pride and joy kept running even in her absence. She was thankful for that, but couldn't wait to get back to work herself. Her doctor had made Olivia promise that she would take at least another week to recover at home before returning to work, and while it pained her to stay away, she planned on honor that promise.

She made her way into her kitchen and found a small box of fresh muffins with a little note from Abby attached to it. Olivia smiled at the sweet gesture, and continued on to her refrigerator. Opening it, she noticed that it was better stocked that it ever had been when she was in charge of the grocery shopping, and she made a mental note to thank Abby for that too. She poured herself a glass of water and continued on to her bedroom. A smile spread on her face when she saw her bed. She really couldn't wait to sleep in her own sheets, with her own pillows, in a bed that was actually comfortable.

Although she really hadn't done much all day, Olivia was tired by the time the sun began to set outside. Her Chinese take-out sat half-eaten on the coffee table, and she was curled up on the couch watching CNN without really paying attention to it. Her mind had drifted to Fitz and the nightly phone calls they had shared every day since their talk in the hospital. Fitz had called her every single day at eight o'clock at night, and they had talked for about 15 minutes about everything and nothing at all. She'd come to rely on those calls to make her smile – something he was always capable of doing. Checking the time, Olivia realized it would be another hour before he would call, and she sighed tiredly. She really hated to admit it, but the day had exhausted her and made her realize that she was not back to full health quite yet. The couch suddenly seemed awfully comfortable, and Olivia sank a little deeper into the cushions.

When her phone rang at exactly eight o'clock, Olivia was startled out of a much needed nap. She reached for the small cell phone, and answered it with a smile.

"Hey.", she greeted him sleepily.

"Open your door.", Fitz replied without bothering to even say hello.

A rush of unexpected happiness flooded her body and she pushed herself off the couch. Olivia knew her sweats were wrinkled and her hair was most likely messy after her nap, but she didn't stop to fix herself before she opened the door. When she did, Olivia was greeted with the sight of the handsome President holding a huge bouquet of flowers.

"Do you know how difficult it is to order flowers when you are the President of the United States?", he grinned.

Olivia threw her head back and laughed a genuine, deep belly laugh that made Fitz grin even wider.

"What are you doing here?", Olivia asked, still smiling. "You've left the White House more for private reasons in the last few weeks than other presidents do in a whole term."

She stepped back to let Fitz come in and then closed the door behind him. When she turned around, Olivia was reminded just how gorgeous he truly was. His suit fit perfectly and the flag pin she had given him so long ago was fastened in its usual spot. His large hands held the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen, and his smile gave her butterflies.

"I don't know if I have a vase big enough for those.", Olivia said, pointing to the stunning assortment of lilies.

He shrugged and shot her one of his winning smiles.

"Got a bucket?"

Shaking her head, Olivia took the flowers out of his hands and took them into a kitchen. It took a moment, but she finally found an old glass vase big enough. Once she had arranged the bouquet on the kitchen table, she joined Fitz in the living room.

"Thank you.", she smiled. "They are absolutely gorgeous. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to. And I wanted to come over to welcome you home."

"The Secret Service must loathe you.", she snickered, and he really couldn't disagree.

"They are definitely working for their money with me around.", Fitz admitted lightly.

He grabbed her hand and let her over to the couch, where a cream colored, soft blanket sat rolled up into a ball and pushed into a corner. They sat down together but he made sure not to sit too close, because they had promised each other to start fresh, and that included taking their time with everything. Olivia tucked her feet under the blanket and watched him as he took of his suit jacket and rolled his shirt sleeves up slightly. Then he turned to face her with a smile.

"You look tired.", he remarked, giving her knee a quick, sweet squeeze.

"I was actually sleeping when you called. I think I fell asleep watching the news. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

"I'm sorry for waking you."

"No, no.", Olivia interjected. "I would never be able to sleep through the night if I took a long nap now."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Fitz couldn't help but reach out to her. He cupped her face in his large hand and allowed his thumb to caress her cheek. Olivia leaned into the touch and enjoyed the warmth it ignited within her.

"I'm glad you stopped by… even if you really shouldn't."

He smiled at her: "I just wanted to make sure you settled in okay, and I realized something."

"Yeah?"

"We know each other so well, and you know things about me that nobody else knows, but there are so many little things that we never talked about. I don't know your favorite color or your biggest fear or your most cherished childhood memory."

"You want to play 20 questions with me.", Olivia laughed, truly surprised.

"I thought that would be a good way to really start fresh.", he smiled in return.

"Alright. But I get to start!", she giggled and her giddiness made Fitz happy. "What's your favorite animal, Mr. President?"

"That's easy. I love horses. I grew up with them on the ranch and I have always been surrounded by them, so obviously, they are the greatest animal out there. I think Karen gets her love for horses from me. Even when she was tiny she had absolutely no fear of them."

Olivia smiled at the look on his face when he mentioned Karen. She knew he loved all of his children, but his only girl had a special place in her dad's heart.

"Okay, it's my turn.", Fitz said and thought about his question for a moment. "What's your favorite thing about yourself?"

"Mh. I'm not sure, I never really thought about that. I like that I am a determined person, because it got me to where I am today. It made it possible for me to open my own firm and be successful with it."

"I like that about you too. It's a trait we have in common.", he replied and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"What's your favorite treat? And any kind of brown liquid does not count!", she teased, even though her tone held a silent warning to it.

"Funny, Ms. Pope. I like Peeps. You know… those little marshmallow chicks?", Fitz asked and Olivia threw her head back, laughing.

"You do not! They are gross!"

"Do too! And they are delicious, but only on Easter, of course. You have no room to make fun of me, Liv. You eat popcorn like it's going out of business.", he winked.

"Beats Peeps any day!", Olivia smiled, shaking her head. "Your turn."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Well, I like white and creamy colors to wear, obviously, but I wouldn't call them my favorites. I actually really like blue, but not your typical baby-boy-blue, but more of a grey-blue."

Fitz stared at her for a few seconds, and then he laughed his deep belly laugh that Olivia loved so much but barely ever got to hear.

"Only you would answer the simplest question with the world's most complex answer, Livy."

She shrugged: "I'm complex like that."

"Now that I can agree with.", Fitz smiled at her.

"What's your ultimate goal in life?", Olivia asked, taking her turn with a new question. "Not professionally, because you're already President of the United States and that's pretty great if you ask me, but personally. One day, when you look back at your life, what do you want to see?"

Fitz considered her question for a long moment, his face serious and his eyes downcast. Olivia hadn't meant for the question to break their easy banter, and she almost told him not to answer when he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"You.", he simply replied.

"What?"

"You asked me what my ultimate goal is – what I want to see when I look back at my life.", Fitz explained. "The answer is you. One day, I want to be old and content and think about all of the things I did wrong and everything I did right, and I want to realize that no matter how many highs and lows I've overcome, you are there at the end. I want to sit on the porch on my ranch, and when I turn my head, I want to see you sitting by my side. You are my ultimate goal, Livy, you are my end game."

Olivia stared at him, her bottom lip trembling softly. Tears had gathered in her eyes and she couldn't believe his words. She had often imagined their future, because that's simply what you did when there was a special someone in your life, but Olivia had never allowed herself to look that far ahead, because their circumstances didn't allow for that. In that moment, with him looking at her with so much sincerity and love, Olivia realized for the first time in her life, that she was one of the very few lucky people that were blessed to find their true soul mate.

She pushed herself up and knelt in front of him. Then she wrapped her arms around Fitz' neck, pulling his body against her own. She rested her cheek against his and waited for the moment when his arms wrapped around her body, two large hands covering the expanse of her back. Olivia pushed a hand through his hair and breathed in his masculine scent.

"I don't know how we are going to do this, I don't know what it will take or how long it will take…", she whispered into his ear. "…but I will do anything to make this fresh start count. I don't know how this will ever not be an impossible situation, but you are my end game too, Fitz. I promise you I will do my very best to make sure I'm sitting on that porch with you some day."


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter! I love to read the reviews and see how invested people are in this story. This chapter is a bit of a filler, but it sets us up for the things to come. **

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That evening, Olivia fell asleep on his shoulder accidentally. They had sat together after their mutual revelations, and Fitz had watched her eyes get heavy and her speech more quiet. He knew how much she hated not feeling as strong and healthy as she usually did, so he didn't say anything – just allowed her to relax against his side. One of his arms was wrapped around Olivia's shoulder, and when he was sure that she was indeed sound asleep, Fitz used his other hand to hold hers gently. He watched his own fingers play with hers, careful not to wake Olivia from her much needed rest. Slowly, he traced an invisible line up and down her ring finger, finally resting the pad of his own finger against the base of hers. Someday, he would like to place a ring right there. Something small and understated, beautifully sparkly but not flashy – just like Olivia. It was not late by any means, only a little after ten at night, so Fitz knew it was okay for him to stay a little longer. With Olivia breathing evenly against his neck, he allowed himself to recall the turn their little game had taken earlier.

Fitz had always believed that, one day, he would be able to build a life with Olivia that wouldn't consist of stolen moments and a secret I-love-you whispered here and there. He had to believe that it was possible, because for the longest time, that was what got him through. When his days had been long and tiring, he had turned into himself and remembered that he had Olivia. And although he tried to push the thoughts aside, the President had always been painfully aware that Olivia never talked about where they would stand in the future or how they could create a real life for themselves together.

Today, for the first time ever, Olivia had done just that. She had given them a future. A real chance to be what he had always assumed they could be.

He remembered just barely being able to hold back the tears when she has hugged him so tightly, telling him that she wanted to be with him – truly and completely till the very end. Their situation was unique and oh-so-difficult, because he was the President of the United States, and there was Mellie, and his children, and pushy Cyrus, and an entire country that looked to him for guidance. Now he could allow himself to look past all of that for just a moment, and see the possibilities that waited beyond any of that. One day, his presidency would be over. He could divorce Mellie and end their farce of a marriage, he could explain himself to his children and hope for their understanding and maybe even support, and he could hopefully make the American people realize that – at the end of the day – he was a man in love with an incredible woman.

He thought about Mellie then – the wife that he had been with for so many years. Despite all of their fights and problems, he respected her political ambitions and her strong will, even if he did not agree with the ways she had tried to assure her standing in society over the years. In the same way, Fitz also didn't always agree with the way she parented their children, because most of the time, she was an absent mother at best. But he could not place all of the blame on her, because he barely saw his children now that he was President, and he knew that both of them had a lot of room for improvement. He wondered what a divorce would do to the three children they shared. Would they be shocked and upset? Would they understand because their oldest children had to know that their parents' marriage was not a happy one? And what about the baby they had brought into this world as a political move? The thought still made Fitz sick to his stomach, because no child should be brought into the world for any reason other than love, but as much as Teddy's conception had been a mistake, _having_ the little boy was not. Fitz realized that out of all of them, a divorce would probably be easiest on his baby boy, because he had never actually experienced his parents being together in the way parents should be. He wouldn't know any better.

His thoughts were interrupted when Olivia groaned quietly next to him.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you.", she mumbled, without putting much effort into actually moving off of him.

He was warm and solid, and so very comfortable, and even in her sleepy state Olivia marveled at how perfectly her body seemed to mold itself to his every time. She felt like a puzzle piece that connected to him just right.

"It's okay.", Fitz replied, pressing a kiss into her hair. "You should go to bed though, Livy. You'll be sore tomorrow if you're sitting on the couch like this for much longer."

"Mh.", Olivia replied sleepily, subconsciously threading her fingers through his.

She had always liked doing that, because his hands were so big and strong, but always so gentle. They were never really too warm or too cold, but felt perfectly comfortable around her own much smaller hands. Most of all, Olivia was beginning to realize that she once again trusted those hands to engulf her with that feeling of safety she cherished so much.

"Let me help you into bed and then I'll go back to the White House."

Fitz was only slightly disappointed that he would be leaving her, because he knew that taking things slow needed to be the base of their relationship. They had tried fast, passionate, and overwhelming, and in the end it had almost broken them beyond repair. So this time, he would do it all differently. He stood and pulled Olivia up by her hands.

"You're so pushy.", she smiled, trying to find the strength to move to the bedroom. "Let me walk you out first."

"Are you sure?", Fitz questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I can let myself out once you are situated."

"I'm fine.", Olivia assured him, adding: "I promise."

They walked towards her front door together, and Olivia watched as he pulled his sleeves down and put his jacket back on, transforming from the Fitz that wanted to play 20 questions on her couch into the President he needed to be as soon as he walked out of her apartment. When they reached the door, he turned and smiled at Olivia. She returned his smile and stepped into his open arms for an embrace.

"You've made me very happy today, Livy.", Fitz whispered into her hair, hugging her tightly to his broad chest. "Your promise means the world to me, and I know we can do this. Together."

Olivia nodded her head in agreement and then looked up at him, placing a sweet, lingering kiss on his cheek. It felt wonderful to know she had made him happy, because his words had made her feel equally as happy.

"I will see you soon, Mr. President?", Olivia asked, although she was sure she already knew the answer to that question.

"You will.", he confirmed. "I'll call you, alright?"

She nodded and stepped out of his arms. Part of her wanted to kiss him goodnight, but Olivia refrained because they'd been doing so well and as much as she longed to feel his lips on hers once again, she wanted to actually do this right this time. Olivia wanted to date this man, and she wanted to do it the old-fashioned way – the no-kiss-unless-there-is-a-real-date kind of way.

"Goodnight, Fitz.", she smiled.

"Goodnight, Liv. Sweet dreams."

Then he turned, opened her door, and stepped into the hallway before turning back to smile at her one last time. Olivia blew him a kiss and then closed the door, leaning against it briefly before turning in for the night. When she finally snuggled her tired body under the covers, Olivia's mind was still on Fitz. Her Fitz – her very own Mr. President. She had learned some of the most trivial and some of the most life-changing things about him in a matter of minutes that night. He loved horses and yucky marshmallow Peeps, his eyes sparkled when he talked about his only daughter, he found her to be a complex woman, he loved and shared her determination, and he wanted to grow old with her.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay for lovely reviews! Thank you! I just started the final two weeks of this semester so I am drowning in finals, papers, and homework assignments. I will still try to continue updating every three days, but please don't be mad if I can't keep up with it. After next week I will definitely be focused on writing. :)**

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Over the course of the next seven days, Fitz traveled to Europe for a quick three-day visit to four different countries, and was generally very busy. He managed to call Olivia nearly every day, requesting health updates and enjoying a quick chat with her before she went to bed. Olivia was beginning to feel more like her old self as the week went on, and by Friday she was ready to put on her heels and strut into her beloved office. She had agreed to let Quinn pick her up at home on her way to work, because she still felt a little weary about driving herself. Olivia had no plans to actually do much work that day, but she wanted to see her office and her gladiators and simply be Olivia Pope again.

When the duo entered the building, Olivia was greeted by the people she worked with, which placed an instant smile on her face. It was good to see them in their usual environment rather than a hospital room. Abby had provided coffee for everyone, and they gathered around the large table to fill in their boss about everything she had missed over the last few weeks.

"We wrapped up the case with Congressman Solis, and I think he was very pleased with the way things turned out.", Harrison supplied.

"Good.", Olivia smiled. "He sent me flowers to the hospital with a note attached that was signed by both him and his wife, so I'd assume things were worked out."

"Threatening the mistress with revealing her porn star past usually works wonders.", Abby grinned.

"We don't threaten. We remind in a friendly manner.", Olivia reminded her, even though the smirk on her face told a different story.

She loved this. Olivia loved being back in her element, even if she was simply discussing cases rather than actually working them. There was a list of possible future clients that Quinn had composed over the last couple of days, and it would be up to Olivia to decide their first true case since the accident. By the following Monday, she was planning on returning full force, ready to be a gladiator in a – brand new Armani – suit. She moved from the table they all shared into her private office and let herself fall into her chair there. Her eyes scanned the list Quinn had handed her and she decided that come Monday morning, she would call Gabrielle Dilling – a young, beautiful, and very successful socialite that had been caught up in the middle of a drug case involving a U.S. senator. Olivia knew she would be able to help the girl, and the case would be a good way to get back into the swing of things.

Her cell phone began vibrating on the desk, and Olivia answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"I am taking you out on a date tonight at eight o'clock. You will be picked up at your place and you will join me for our first real date."

"Fitz.", she laughed quietly. "You know that's not possible. We can't go on a date."

"Livy, I don't think you quite understand. This isn't a request. I have made it possible; all I need for you to do is wear something special and come hungry."

She could hear the amusement in his voice, and as much as it made her smile, it also worried her. Fitz had been just short of reckless when he had visited her in a public hospital repeatedly, and his visit to her home was only slightly less risky. Taking her on a date would seriously push all their good luck, and Olivia was not willing to allow him to take that risk.

"Fitz.", Olivia began again, her voice holding a warning tone. "We can't do that, and you know it."

"Do you trust me?", he implored.

She didn't hesitate: "Yes. But…"

"Eight o'clock, Livy."

Before she could reply, Fitz had already hung up on her. Olivia sighed and checked her watch. It was barely noon, so there was a long time to go before she even had to consider getting ready. She wanted to believe that she could open the door later that day and tell whoever had been sent to collect her that she would not be going. Olivia realized, however, that it was futile to even pretend she wouldn't be leaving her home with a Secret Service agent at eight o'clock sharp.

Ten minutes before eight, Olivia was ready and pacing in her apartment. She was excited to see Fitz again, but she was still nervous about their date. Of course, she didn't get the normal first-date-jitters that everyone was used to, no, Olivia Pope had first-date-with-the-president-jitters. When the knock came, she checked herself in the mirror one last time, before opening her door to two Secret Service agents. Closing her door behind her, she followed them to the car wordlessly.

It took her less than 15 minutes of driving before Olivia realized where they were going. She was pleased with Fitz' choice, because she his location of choice was as safe and private as it would get for them outside of his private rooms in the White House. When the black car pulled up to the gates of Camp David, Olivia gave herself a once-over in her tiny compact mirror, smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in the skirt of her dress, and took a deep breath. Finally, they reached the main house and she smiled at the sight of the President standing in the doorway, waiting to greet her. Olivia waited for one of the agents to open her door before stepping out. Her gaze was lowered and she scolded herself inwardly for being this nervous. They'd shared so much over the last couple of years, and they'd been so close so many times, but they had never actually gone on a first date in the true sense of the word. This was a first for them, and it made Olivia's heart beat out of her chest.

When she finally lifted her head to meet Fitz' eyes, he was smiling. He was dressed in his usual outfit, with only the suit jacket missing. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong arms in that way she liked so much. Olivia watched as his eyes took her in, traveling from the tips of her toes, up her body, until their eyes met. She wore a pair of cream-colored heels and a flowing, knee-length dress of the same color that was accentuated with a gold belt. Her shoulders were bare, and the slight breeze made her curls play around her face. Slowly, Olivia began to walk towards him, finally meeting him by the door. Fitz took her hand into his and brought it up to his lips, placing a chaste kiss on each of her knuckles.

"Hi.", he smiled, and Olivia's heart melted.

"Hi."

"You look beautiful."

Fitz walked her into the house and didn't bother showing her around, because he remembered that Olivia knew her way around Camp David just as well as he did. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the dining room. No lights were turned on, but the room was illuminated by candles that were placed everywhere. The table was set beautifully, and a single, white rose had been placed on Olivia's plate. Music was playing softly in the background, and the delicious scent of their dinner made her mouth water. Olivia turned to face Fitz, her smile instantly putting him at ease. At the age of 50, he was actually more nervous about a first date than he ever had been as a young man.

"You didn't have to do all of this.", Olivia said, but the look on her face told him how much she appreciated it.

"I wanted to.", Fitz assured her. "Come on. Let's sit down. Dinner will be served in a few minutes."

After pulling out a chair for her, Fitz sat down across from her and poured them both a glass of expensive wine that he knew Olivia would enjoy. Dinner was delicious and relatively quiet. They briefly chatted about how their day had been, but remained silent for most of the time. Although they didn't use many words, so much was said. Olivia and Fitz shared looks all through dinner, and every now and then he would reach across the table to touch her hand. When their plates were cleared, they didn't move to leave the table. She had turned her hand over to allow Fitz to draw invisible circles on the palm of her hand. At the same time, her foot was slowly sliding up and down his calf, and although he said nothing, Olivia could tell by the way his eyes darkened that it was affecting him. After a while, Fitz stood.

"Come on, Liv.", he encouraged, holding his hand out to her. "Let's move this to the living room."

She followed him without hesitance, and they both got comfortable on the large, antique couch. They sat close, but Fitz made sure that there was enough space in between them to assure he would control himself. Olivia's earlier actions had made it difficult to take things as slow as they had agreed to.

"How was your first day back at the office?"

"Uneventful.", Olivia smiled. "But it was still nice to be back. I had the chance to look over some things, and I think we'll take our first case since the accident on Monday morning. How was your day?"

Fitz saw the excitement dance in her eyes, and it made him happy to know that her work caused her such fulfillment.

"Good. I had a conference call with the French President, and Cyrus is on me about something I should be looking into, but I was a little distracted when he spoke to me."

Olivia punched his shoulder playfully, knowing that she had probably been his distraction. They smiled at each other, but after a moment her face fell slightly.

"What does Mellie think you are doing tonight?"

"I don't know.", he sighed. "She is in Louisiana for a few days, so she doesn't know that I came here tonight."

"Fitz…", Olivia warned. "She will not always be away. It isn't always going to be convenient for us."

"Can we not talk about her tonight?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about her any more than you do, but we promised each other there'd be no more secrets, no more lies and omissions. I don't want Mellie to get involved either, but we both know that she will eventually."

She watched, concerned, as his face fell and he lowered his gaze until she was no longer able to see his eyes. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to bring up his wife, because as much as she needed to be discussed eventually, she wasn't exactly a topic for a first date. Olivia instantly regretted mentioning her. Their date had gone so well, and when she looked past the fact that they were at Camp David, things had almost been normal. Dinner, candlelight, flirting, soft but innocent touches – a typical successful first date. Now Olivia was afraid she had ruined it, and they would not be able to return to the carefree normalcy that she had enjoyed so much mere minutes ago.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up. Look, Fitz…"

"No.", he interrupted her, his eyes finally returning to look into hers. "I'm not… it's not… Mellie isn't what I am worried about."

When he noticed the confusion edged into her features, he continued quietly.

"There's something else you said, Liv. You said that we promised each other no more secrets and no more lies. We promised each other a fresh start, but… Olivia… I… I haven't been honest with you. There is something I haven't told you."

"Fitz…", she whispered brokenly, reaching out to take his hands between both of hers. "What is it?"

For a long moment he was quiet, his glassy eyes staring deeply into hers. He wondered if their second chance would be over before it ever really started.

"I killed Verna."


	13. Chapter 13

**I put a lot of thought into this chapter and into how to resolve this issue. I hope I am doing it justice. This is how I would hope/like to see things go if Fitz and Liv would ever actually talk about what happened to Verna. Leave me a review and let me know what YOU think!**

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"What?", Olivia whispered, staring at him incredulously.

"I killed Verna.", Fitz repeated brokenly. "I killed the Supreme Court Justice."

He watched in agony as Olivia dropped his hands and scooted towards the opposite end of the couch, away from him. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Fitz noticed the trembling of her hands and the pure and utter shock that had taken over her face.

"She was very sick…", Olivia trailed off, almost as if she was trying to explain the death in a more plausible, more acceptable way.

"She was.", Fitz admitted. "But ultimately, her illness didn't kill her. I did."

Olivia watched the pain and regret that colored his features, and tried to make sense of his words. It couldn't be. It simply couldn't be that this kind-hearted, good man had killed a human being. And not just any human being – a Supreme Court Justice.

"I don't understand, Fitz.", she cried and got up to pace the length of the room. "I don't understand what you are trying to say here."

"I want to explain, Liv. Please sit down."

She huffed, but it lacked any kind of anger. When Fitz looked up at her to see if she was returning to her seat on the couch, he noticed that she looked unbelievably sad, disappointed, and confused. Finally, she reclaimed her seat, but stayed as far away from him as the couch would allow.

"When I went to see Verna at the hospital, I was shocked at how sick she was. I'd had no idea. She looked like she was not going to live much longer, and she knew that. I sat with her and talked to her and then… she… she told me about Defiance, Liv. She's the reason I found out about the election rigging."

Even though Olivia didn't reply, he knew by the look on her face that she had assumed that much. Cyrus and Mellie would have rather cut their tongues out before ever telling him about it and Hollis would not have gained anything by sharing the secret. Verna was the only possible leak, and Fitz knew that Olivia had figured that out a long time ago.

"I wanted to leave.", Fitz continued brokenly. "I almost left, but then she told me that she wouldn't take your secret to the grave with her. She wanted to come clean, Livy. She wanted to reveal to the world that I am not supposed to be President, that the election was rigged."

The thought alone terrified Olivia, and she made no effort to control her facial expressions in front of Fitz. They had come so close to being caught, and it would have been Verna's fault. Olivia could not begin to wrap her mind around the fact that the Supreme Court Justice, who had been a more than willing participant in the rigging, would have thrown them all in front of the proverbial bus.

"She was going to talk and I couldn't let her. I couldn't let her do that to me, or to any of you."

"What did you do, Fitz?", Olivia asked, and she sounded completely terrified.

"I took off her oxygen mask and I… I held her down until she stopped breathing. I killed her, Olivia. I killed her to protect myself, and you, and this godforsaken presidency. I killed a woman because she was going to be honest."

Olivia watched as a tear slid down his face at an agonizingly slow pace. Fitz dropped his head so she could not see his tears and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to look at her, see her reaction to his words because he knew her feelings would be visible through Olivia's eyes.

"I was never going to tell anyone about this.", he finally continued. "I was going to take _my_ secret to the grave, but I couldn't – I can't. We promised each other to do this right this time, and I couldn't keep going with this secret still between us. But I am sorry, Liv. I'm sorry I am not the man you thought I was."

"We do things.", Olivia whispered after a long moment of silence. "To fix people and situations… we do things."

Fitz regarded her with confusion and wordlessly urged her to continue.

"When a client walks into my office, and we take the case, we begin doing things that are wrong. Sometimes they are morally wrong, sometimes they are incredibly questionable. And sometimes… sometimes we do things that are illegal.", she explained with a voice that sounded eerily detached. "I promise my clients to do everything in my power to fix the problems they cannot fix on their own, and I am good at my job. I am great at what I do, but I am not always proud of what I do. I destroy lives to save others, Fitz. We _do_ things."

It took him a long time to let her words sink in, but finally he understood what Olivia was trying to tell him.

"I don't want you to look at me for the rest of your life and see a murderer. I don't want you to hate me."

"You aren't a murderer.", Olivia replied, and for the first time her voice sounded a little stronger.

"I _killed_ Verna Thornton."

"But you are not a murderer."

"How can you say that, Liv? How can you look at me and not see what I have done?", Fitz asked incredulously.

"I see what you have done. But I also see why you did it. Verna was dying, Fitz. You killed a woman that only had a few days to live."

"And I took those few days from her. I am guilty of murder, Livy!"

"No. You are guilty of protecting yourself at all costs. You did what you thought was necessary."

"Why can you be so calm about this? How can you ever forgive me?", Fitz inquired, sounding almost angry now.

It's not my place to forgive. Will you ever be able to forgive yourself?"

He didn't want a fight, and all he had ever wanted was for her to understand what he had done and why he had done it, but Olivia's reaction surprised, almost shocked him. She looked pained by his admission, but the shock had left her face and was replaced by sad understanding. It was times like these that Olivia Pope was a complete mystery to the President. When he didn't answer her question, Olivia continued.

"I can be like this because I understand why you did what you did.", she admitted. "I'm not saying what you did was right, but it doesn't make you a bad person, Fitz."

"I feel like one, Liv. How could I not?"

"Why did you forgive me for the election rigging?"

He didn't hesitate to reply: "Because I finally understood what made you do it. That doesn't mean I agree with it – I never will. But I do understand."

"Exactly.", Olivia nodded.

They looked at each other for a long time, and Fitz allowed himself think about what she was really telling him. Did she forgive him? Did she forgive him for _killing_?

"I will never say that what you did was right, because it wasn't. There may have been other ways of solving the issue before Verna could talk, but at the time, you didn't think about that. You were shocked and scared and you did what you thought needed to be done. I could never hate you for that."

Fitz scooted forward slightly, hoping she would meet him half way. After only a moment of hesitation, Olivia joined him on the middle of the couch and allowed his body to fall against hers. She remembered the last time she had held him like that on the day of his father's funeral, and his obvious pain hurt her just as much now as it had back then. He didn't cry this time around, but his entire body had gone weak in her arms, and she knew it was because he had carried the weight of his actions around for so long. Olivia gently stroked his scalp with her fingernails and cradled him much like he had done to her back in the hospital.

"Thank you for telling me.", she whispered against his curly hair.

Fitz didn't move out of her embrace, but lifted his head to look up at her.

"I don't deserve you.", he said sadly.

"I think we deserve each other. We both made such terrible decisions, but that doesn't make us bad people. It makes us human."

"Does it?", Fitz sighed. "Haven't we done so much that we no longer have the right to call ourselves good people, Liv?"

"Maybe this is exactly why we deserve each other. We are good and bad. We make incredible mistakes, but we rise above them to do something right, something _good_. It's what allows us to keep going despite the harm we have caused."

"Will it stand between us?", he asked, and Olivia knew he was referring to Verna's death.

"No.", Olivia assured him with conviction. "I will never forget what you did, and you will never forget it either. But it will not stand between us, because you were honest with me. You could have kept this a secret, Fitz, and unbeknownst to me, it would have always stood between us. Your honesty means the world to me."

He remembered their mutual agreement then to take things slow and one step at a time, but when she looked down at him with so much love and understanding, Fitz could no longer hold back. Leaning up slowly to allow her time to pull back if she chose to do so, he gently placed his lips against Olivia's. She gave in to him immediately, holding his face in her small hands as they kissed. Their kiss was full of longing and love, and in that moment Fitz felt more connected to her than he ever had. After a while, Olivia broke away from his lips, and smiled at him sadly.

"Do you think I could stay here with you tonight?"


	14. Chapter 14

**I got some really great reviews for the last chapter. Thanks for the love! Speaking of love: I have changed the rating to ****M**** ...**

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After spending most of the night on the couch in comfortable silence, Olivia and Fitz retired to the bedroom a little after midnight. He handed her one of his old Navy t-shirts, and she excused herself to get changed in the bathroom. When Olivia returned, Fitz was already in bed with the covers pulled up to his waist. His chest was bare and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Reminding herself that she had seen him shirtless many times, Olivia walked towards the bed. Fitz turned his head to the side to watch her as soon as the bathroom door opened. Her face was free of make-up now, and she was wearing nothing but his large, grey t-shirt and a pair of cream-colored, lacy panties that peeked out every time she moved. The outfit was simple but to him, Olivia was beyond stunning at that moment. She looked so natural, and he loved seeing his own shirt on her body.

"Come to bed.", he whispered as she carefully approached him.

Although Olivia smiled at him, Fitz could feel her nervousness radiating off her body and it made him want to put her at ease. He lifted the covers and she climbed into bed with him. For nearly five minutes, they simply lay next to each other. The room was lit only by the moonlight, but Olivia continued to stare at the ceiling, focusing on an imaginary spot. Fitz was on his back as well, but he had his head turned to watch her. Finally she turned her head to face him as well.

"Hi.", she whispered and Fitz laughed quietly.

"Hi, beautiful."

He slowly scooted closer to her, moving his body as close as possible without actually touching her. Then he reached out and lovingly stroked a finger down her cheek and across her bottom lip. Olivia turned on her side so they could be face-to-face.

"You're in my bed.", Fitz smiled.

"We're not sticking to our own rules, Fitz."

"I know, I know. But we're not breaking them completely, so I think it's alright."

"If you say so, Mr. President.", Olivia replied, raising her eyebrow playfully.

Carefully, almost hesitantly, Olivia placed her hand on his bare chest. She hadn't felt the soft hair there in so long that it seemed almost like she was touching Fitz for the first time. Her fingers trailed across his well-defined chest and he watched in wonder how lost and yet completely focused she looked. For a very long moment, Olivia's finger tips rested above his heart, and she allowed herself to feel the strong beat that seemed to be in sync with her own. Then, she leaned in and replaced her fingers with her lips, placing a brief, loving kiss where his heart was thrumming strongly. When she looked back into his eyes, they were so bright and expressive that Olivia almost forgot that they were supposed to be taking things much, much slower than they had the first time around.

"Goodnight, Livy.", Fitz whispered sweetly, knowing that closing his eyes and trying to sleep would be the only way to stop himself from doing more than just hold her.

Olivia almost giggled because she knew exactly what he was doing. She gently poked his chest.

"You are so transparent sometimes.", she smiled mischievously. "Goodnight, Fitz."

A beat passed, and then he leaned in to kiss her goodnight slowly and sensually. Finally, Olivia turned over, her back facing him. Fitz pulled her into him, not caring about the little bit of beautiful torture he was putting himself through. She only froze for a moment before snuggling into him completely. His body wrapped around her much smaller frame like a warm, protective cocoon, and his hand came to rest across her waist. Olivia laced their fingers above her stomach, and after only a few minutes she drifted off into the most comfortable, deep sleep. Fitz stayed awake a little longer, simply allowing himself to enjoy the fact that the love of his life was back in his arms. They had rarely ever had the chance to just sleep together without actually _sleeping together_, and he cherished the feeling.

When Olivia woke hours later, it was still dark out but the sky held a soft glow to it that told her morning wasn't far. Despite the early hour, she felt more rested and relaxed than she had in the longest time. She realized that she didn't know what Fitz had planned and when he needed to be back at the White House, but she knew that she had absolutely no plans for the day, so she snuggled back into him and closed her eyes. Only then did she realize just how incredibly close they were, and how much their bodies were entwined. Fitz leg was thrown over her own, pinning her to the mattress, and his face was tucked so closely to her neck, that she could feel his every breath. Goosebumps began to rise on Olivia's skin when she noticed that the shirt she was wearing did no longer function as a barrier between the skin of her stomach and their hands. At some point during the night, the shirt had bundled up high around her waist, and Fitz' hand, along with her own, had slipped under it. Even though his fingers were completely still, every inch he touched subconsciously tingled.

"You're thinking too loud.", Fitz mumbled, and his whispered words surprised her so much that she almost jumped.

"Go back to sleep."

"I can't. Your loud thoughts woke me up."

He sounded much like a petulant child, and it made her smile how grumpy and tired he was this early. Olivia wiggled her body into his, and he groaned against her messy hair.

"Liv…", he warned.

"Sorry.", she whispered, biting her lip to keep her own groans at bay.

He was hot and solid behind her, and his erection was now nestled against her butt. Olivia didn't dare to move, barely allowing herself to breathe. Then, Fitz' thumb began to draw lazy circles against the sensitive skin of Olivia's stomach and the air left her lungs in form of a shuddering breath. Slowly, his hand moved a little higher, and while she could have easily stopped him, it never even crossed her mind. Fitz stopped immediately when the tip of his finger suddenly traveled across a part of her stomach that didn't feel smooth. She answered his unasked question quietly in a hushed voice.

"It's from the accident."

"Oh Livy.", he sighed. "Does it hurt?"

"No. It just feels a little tender." After a moment Olivia added: "It's not the only scar. They're so ugly."

Slowly, Fitz pulled her over until she was lying on her back, their faces now almost touching. Her hand slipped from his in the process and Fitz took the opportunity to caress her back soothingly.

"Don't ever say that.", he whispered with conviction. "You are beautiful, so _beautiful_ and no scar could ever change that."

Olivia nodded her head, but didn't seem convinced by his pleading words. He knew her well, so Fitz understood that she was simply agreeing with him to make him feel better. He stared into her eyes and began sliding down her body. Olivia was immediately alarmed.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh."

When his face was hovering just above her stomach, Fitz looked up into Olivia's eyes and, ever so slowly, he began pushing up the t-shirt she wore. She was too shocked to stop him, but she was also mesmerized by the incredible care and gentleness he was showing her. Fitz had seen her completely naked many times in the past, but for the first time she didn't feel confident and sexy at all. As much as she hated to admit defeat, those ugly scars had indeed taken some of her self-confidence, and while Olivia knew they would fade eventually, they would always be a reminder of her ordeal. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Fitz' warm, soft lips place a kiss just below her belly button, then another one just above it. Despite the darkness of the room, his eyes had adjusted enough for him to actually see her scar rather than just feel it. It was no more than three inches long, but it was still pink and clearly visible. Fitz hesitated for a moment before placing a third kiss against her skin, this time letting his lips gently caress the scar she seemed to loathe so much.

"Fitz…", she breathed, her hands coming up to entwine with his curly hair.

He kissed the scar on her stomach over and over again, hoping she would understand that he would never not find her beautiful. Fitz' hands had wrapped around her slender waist to hold her in place when she began to squirm under his ministrations.

"Where's the other one?"

"What?", she asked confused.

"The other scar. Where is it?"

Olivia hesitated: "It's from the bleeding in my thorax… between my breasts."

Fitz stared straight into her eyes and she knew he was asking for permission. With her heart beating out of her chest, Olivia gave him a barely noticeable nod. With the utmost care, Fitz pushed her shirt higher and higher, until he began uncovering her second scar. Starting just below her left breast, it stretched along the valley between her breasts and ended halfway up her chest. This scar was larger and more angry looking, and Fitz almost didn't dare to touch it. He studied the raised skin for a while, reminding himself that this was a sign of her strength, her determination. It was a sign of what she had overcome. Pushing the shirt up further, Fitz realized that Olivia wasn't wearing a bra, but when she made no move to stop him, he revealed the entire scar, uncovering her naked breasts in the process.

The first tender kiss made her heart stop. The second kiss nearly overwhelmed her. And by the third kiss, she knew she would never love another man like she loved Fitz. When the fourth kiss lingered on the tortured skin between her breast, Olivia decided that it was time. To Fitz, her movements almost seemed to be in slow motion when she reached for the hem of the shirt and pulled it over her head. For a moment he was speechless, wondering if he was dreaming. Then, he gave into the desire that had been building for weeks.

A soft moan escaped her lips as he settled between her legs and kissed her slowly, but thoroughly. Their tongues met, and Olivia wrapped her arms around his body, one hand tangling in his soft curls while the other rested low on his back, pulling him closer to her. Fitz broke the kiss to ask her if she was sure about this, but words failed him when Olivia lifted her hips to push herself against his straining erection, encouraging him.

"I missed you so much.", he breathed against her neck, setting the skin there on fire.

Olivia moaned in return: "I missed you too, Fitz. Please…"

He kissed the spot just below her ear that always made her shiver, and Olivia smiled at his incredible knowledge of her body, even after months of not being together. This time, when Fitz moved his mouth to her breast, his kisses weren't chaste. He placed open-mouthed kisses on her beautiful breasts, licking first one and then her second nipple. Olivia's back arched off the bed, and he groaned at the incredible friction she was creating between their heated bodies. Before she had time to register his movements, Fitz' mouth came to rest over her panty clad womanhood and he inhaled her intoxicating scent.

"You drive me crazy, Livy.", he groaned, and Olivia responded by pushing herself into his mouth.

Fitz tucked at her wet panties impatiently, and pulled them down her shaking legs. When she was completely naked, Olivia opened her eyes to look at him. As soon as their eyes met, she spread her legs for him. He watched in awe as she revealed herself to him once again, and he felt as if it was their first time all over again. Kissing his way up her legs, Fitz reveled in her small sighs and moans. Finally, he reached her center. Painfully slowly, he licked her wet lips before spreading her open with his fingers. He kissed her swollen clit, then gently sucked on her over and over again. Olivia wrapped her legs around his body and used her feet to push down his underwear, relieving his aching member from its confines. More than anything else, he wanted to make her cum, but at the same time, Fitz wanted to be right there with her when it happened. With a last, lingering kiss, he left his spot between her legs and sat up on his knees.

"Don't stop.", she complained, her eyes a fiery mixture of love, need, and pure arousal.

Grabbing her waist with his large hands, Fitz pulled Olivia into him, letting her legs fall around his hips. They both moaned when his erection finally made contact with her wet core, and Olivia slowly, sensually rubbed herself against him. Fitz put a large hand on her stomach, mindful of her scar, and held her down so she couldn't move against him any longer.

"Fitz…", she groaned, needing the friction to take away some of the delicious ache.

"Patience, sweet baby.", he whispered, but Olivia knew that he was only just hanging on himself.

With his free hand, he took hold of his throbbing, hard member and placed just the tip against her sex. Olivia didn't know if she should move away, or move closer to deal with the overwhelming sensations, but Fitz didn't allow her to do either, stilling her movements instead and torturing her with slow strokes of his cock against her clit. Finally, after she almost believed she wouldn't be able to hold on, he pushed just the tip into her, groaning at how tight she felt. Fitz' hands returned to their spot around her waist, and he pulled Olivia closer until he was halfway buried inside of her. Already she felt full, but she wanted more – so much more. Suddenly Fitz leaned forward slightly, sliding his arms up her body until two large hands were pushed between the mattress and her shoulder blades. With one swift, powerful move, he pulled Olivia's body up into a sitting position. She gasped, Fitz' sudden move causing his cock to slide so deeply into her that she thought she might burst.

"Fitz… God…", Olivia moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

Olivia's sensitive nipples brushed against his chest hair, and even though they were both completely still, she could feel the insistent throbbing of him inside of her. Fitz bit her shoulder, then soothed the mark with a sweet kiss. When he lifted his head, he was met with the sight of Olivia's hooded eyes, her mouth slightly open as she tried to take a breath. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty skin, and she was beyond gorgeous.

"Baby… move, please.", she begged, and to Fitz, her hoarse voice was pure sex.

It only took a couple thrusts for her to match his rhythm, and soon Olivia met his every upward stroke with a downward push. Their bodies were entwined head to toe, and she didn't think Fitz had ever been so deep inside of her. After a few moments of slow, sensual thrusts, Olivia began circling her hips on top of him.

"Yes.", he hissed, his voice almost unrecognizable in their moment of passion. "That's it, Livy. Just like that, sweet baby."

His final thrust took Olivia's breath away completely, and she came around him with a soundless scream, her entire body shuddering almost violently. She felt Fitz cum inside of her, clinging to her body like she was his lifeline.

"Livy…", he breathed. "Livy…"

"Shh, I know. I know, Fitz.", she whispered, understanding his declaration of love without him having to put it into words.

He lowered their bodies into the sheets, never allowing their intimate embrace to break.


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm completely blown away by the amount of reviews for the last chapter. THANK YOU! **

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It was just a little past noon when Fitz found himself back at his desk in the Oval Office. His secretary had left a pile of files there for him to read, but he didn't mind. For the first time in a very long time, he felt happy, relaxed, and almost care-free. Olivia had left Camp David after the two of them had shared breakfast in bed, and Fitz had returned to the White House soon after. Thankfully, it was a relatively quiet day, and he was looking forward to spending a couple of hours with Teddy later. When the door opened, he was fully prepared to see Cyrus. Instead, his wife entered the office.

"Mellie?", Fitz greeted her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were in Louisiana all weekend. I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow."

"I'm sure you weren't.", Mellie replied in that syrupy sweet voice that told him he was in trouble.

"What do you want?"

"How's Olivia?"

Just like that, Fitz knew why she had come back to D.C. earlier than originally planned. He didn't know how Mellie had found out about him seeing Olivia, but he had learned years ago that his wife had her ways.

"Much better.", he offered, deciding it wouldn't be worth denying anything at this point. "Her wounds are healing nicely."

"I'm sure you inspected them thoroughly."

"Let's get to the point here, Mellie. We both know you're not here to ask me about Olivia's health."

"For months I watched you sulk, Fitz. I watched you drink yourself into oblivion and I put up with your constant frowning. And that's okay, because I am your wife, but I will not let this woman swoop back in now and destroy what little normalcy you have regained. I let you sit by her bedside like a lost puppy for days, but enough is enough. Let's be completely honest here.", she huffed. "You were a complete and utter _mess_ for God knows how long and…"

"You should be relieved then.", Fitz interrupted his wife. "I am a much happier man now that Olivia is back in my life."

Mellie stared at him incredulously for a moment before she reminded herself to school her expression. She was too good and had come too far to let him see her falter now. Mellie stepped closer to the desk until she was right in front of it. She looked down at her husband and studied him for a moment. He looked calm and relaxed, and for the first time in longer than she could remember, there were no dark circles under his eyes. The spark had returned to his blue orbs and he looked happy and healthy. It infuriated her.

"I will not sit by and watch this."

"Nobody is asking you to, Mellie."

"You don't seem to understand me, Fitzgerald.", she hissed.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you, especially not in here.", Fitz replied, tipping his head up and pointing to the cameras that surrounded them.

"The cameras never stopped you before from being inappropriate."

He sighed, because she was right and that annoyed him more than the statement itself. She looked so resolute, so very much Republican-First-Lady, and Fitz wondered if somewhere in there, she was still the Mellie that had once been his best friend. He'd never considered her to be the love of his life, and her almost brutally ambitious nature had sometimes made him wonder how they'd ever even managed to even be friends, but at the end of day, Mellie had always been that good friend he could count on. But now, he did not want to count on her anymore. He didn't have the need to count on her.

"I'd like to talk to you later, Mellie – just the two of us without anyone watching or listening. I was hoping we could sit down tonight."

She looked like she was going to argue with him, but then Mellie nodded her head and left the Oval Office without another word. Fitz sighed and returned to his work. He didn't look forward to talking to his wife later, but he knew how badly they needed to have this talk regardless. His mind drifted to a happier place, to Olivia, and the way she had looked just a few hours ago. Her gorgeous lips had been kiss swollen and there had been such a glow to her that it made him smile even now. Fitz hoped that she had taken his advice and was at home right now, just relaxing.

Hours later, the President found himself sharing dinner with his wife in icy silence. Lately, Mellie had taken to chattering her way through dinner nearly every night, and he knew it was her way of trying to engage him, to get him to open up to her. Tonight, Fitz had to admit, the silence he had so often wished for, bothered him. Out of all the awkward meals they had shared over the years, this one was almost painful. When Mellie pushed her plate away, Fitz took the opportunity and stood up.

"Come on.", Fitz urged, taking his wife's hand and helping her up.

Her hand felt cold and uncharacteristically clammy, almost foreign in his own. Fitz thought about Olivia's hands and how they had felt so familiar even the first time he'd touched her after months of being apart. When he touched his wife now, it felt like he was holding the hand of a complete stranger. He led Mellie into their private bedroom and after shrugging off his jacket, Fitz asked her to take a seat. She hesitated for just a split second, but Fitz caught it and sighed at how incredibly weary and awkward they'd allowed themselves to become around each other.

"What did you want to talk about?", Mellie asked tensely.

"I am not going to insult your intelligence, and I won't even ask how you found out about Camp David, but you obviously know that Olivia and I have reconciled."

"That's lovely. I'm sure you don't expect me to give you two my blessing."

"Of course not.", Fitz admitted. "But I would like to ask for your understanding and support to keep this quiet."

"You have some nerve.", Mellie replied, her voice rising just slightly. "Do you even realize what you are doing here or has Olivia finally managed to turn you into a complete lovesick moron?"

"Mellie…"

"No, Fitzgerald. You are asking your _wife_ to support your affair _– again_. I did it once because I thought it was for the best, because I thought that if getting to rid her of her panties every now and then keeps you happy, so be it. I was wrong then, because as we both know being with her destroyed you just as much as being away from her does. I will not allow it again."

Fitz regarded her quietly. To others, she would have looked exactly like the woman everyone got to see on TV, but to him, she looked so different at that moment. The confidence Mellie liked to show was merely an act at this point, and Fitz could tell by the slight, barely noticeable twitch of her eyes. Her words were meant to sound authoritative, but he knew she'd had to fight to make them sound that way. Mellie was nervous, maybe even afraid.

"I'm not asking you to allow me anything. That's not your place, and you know that. I need you to understand that what Olivia and I have is not an affair. It never was to begin with, but it definitely isn't now."

"Why is that?", Mellie asked with a perfectly raised eyebrow. "What did she promise you this time around?"

"A future."

It was such a vague answer, but it knocked the wind out of Mellie. For as much as Olivia had interfered with their life and their marriage, Mellie had never considered her to be a threat. She had been an inconvenience, a disruption of their 'normal', one that would eventually go away. But she hadn't. Olivia Pope was back, and if her husband's words were any indication, stronger than ever.

"Your future is here, in the White House and even beyond that, you will always be a President with a political presence to uphold. Your precious Olivia doesn't fit into that equation, Fitzgerald."

"That's where you're wrong. I didn't just ask you to talk to me to tell you that Olivia and I are seeing each other again. I want a divorce, Mellie."

She snorted: "Doesn't this sound awfully familiar? It didn't happen before and it certainly won't happen now, Fitz. I will never agree to a divorce. It would be political suicide, the end of your career."

"But that's not what worries you, is it? You are worried about what it would do to you, what you would do if you weren't the First Lady."

"Fitz…", she warned, because she hated to be reduced to a woman with a title but no actual career.

"Let me finish.", he interrupted. "I am not asking you to let me divorce you right now, because I know you wouldn't agree, and I realize it would be very difficult to come out on top if our divorce was made public right now. However, I am asking you to sign an agreement."

Fitz handed her a folder, and while she took it, Mellie did not open it to look at the papers within.

"What is this?"

"This is a divorce agreement I asked my lawyers to draw up. If you sign it, you would agree to a divorce at the end of my first term. I want to keep the ranch, and I will not allow anything less than shared custody of our children, but everything else is negotiable."

"It would ruin your career, Fitz.", she laughed incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I would like to run for a second term, and if the American people support me as a divorced President, I would be blessed to run this country for another four years. If they do not support my decisions, then I can live with that as well. No matter what, I am not willing to uphold this farce of a marriage any longer than we have to, Mellie."

"This marriage isn't the problem. Olivia is. I will not let her take my marriage from me, Fitz."

"Mellie, this isn't a marriage, and you know that. It's a political contract, and quite frankly, I'm no longer willing to settle for that. I love Olivia, more than I could ever even begin to describe to you, and I am not going to force her to live this life of secrecy forever."

"Then let her go, dammit!", Mellie yelled and he was taken aback by her anger.

"I can't. I don't want to. Please take a look at the divorce agreement and sign it, Mellie. I know I said it won't come into play until this term is over, but I want to be sure that we have a legal agreement that is binding. For both of us."

Mellie stood, placed the unopened folder on the table, and walked towards the bathroom. Before closing the door behind her, she forced a smile.

"I hope you don't mind sleeping in the nursery tonight."


	16. Chapter 16

**How great was "752"?! I cried like a baby for most of the episode. On another note, once again I am ahead of you, Shonda! I had angry Mellie a week ahead of schedule. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are very much appreciated. **

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"Hi."

"I asked Mellie for a divorce."

Olivia raised her eyes to the ceiling and sighed into the phone. She'd been in bed for a little over 20 minutes now, reading over files and waiting for Fitz to call her. This was not the kind of greeting Olivia had expected when she'd picked up the phone after the first ring.

"Fitz, you know that's not a good idea. At least not right now, while you are President with a good chance of winning the next election."

"I know.", he agreed. "That's why I didn't ask for an immediate divorce."

"What does that mean?"

"If she signs the papers, Mellie would agree to a divorce at the end of my first term."

"What about a second term, Fitz? What about your political future?"

Contrary to what he had expected, Olivia did not sound mad or panicked at his plan. She was calm, and there was no accusation in her questions. For the first time since he had talked to Mellie, Fitz could feel himself relax. If he was completely honest with himself, the thought of how his wife would react had scared him a lot less than Olivia's possible reaction to the news.

"I would like to run for a second term, very much so, but only if the American people can accept a divorced Commander in Chief.", Fitz explained. "If that isn't something people can come to terms with, then I will accept that and move on."

"Why now?", Olivia asked, and he thought she sounded a little hesitant.

"Do you even have to ask, Liv?"

"I thought you might say that. Fitz, are you sure this is the right thing to do? What if Mellie doesn't sign the papers and things get ugly? I don't know if you can trust her to keep a divorce as clean as you would like it to be."

"You're right about that – we won't know what she will do until she actually does it, but I can't let that stop me, Livy. I want us to have that future we promised each other, but that will never be possible as long as I am married. Because as much as I want to convince myself otherwise, you _are_ a secret and that needs to stop. I need it to stop, Liv."

His honesty shook Olivia to the core, and she turned onto her side, snuggling into the pillow and wishing Fitz could be there right now. A single tear slipped down her cheek and left a tiny, wet spot on the white pillow case. She pressed her phone closer to her ear, wishing to absorb his every breath, sigh, and word.

"Okay.", she whispered. "Do it."

"Are you sure?", Fitz breathed. "Because, Livy, as much as I want to divorce her, I won't do it if you're not ready to deal with the aftermath. It will affect you just as much as me."

Olivia realized that he was right. Even though it was his divorce and his career on the line, once they started the proceedings, there would be no turning back. For as long as they had been in love, Fitz' marriage had always hung over their heads like a dark cloud, but it had also been Olivia's way out when she felt overwhelmed or scared. A divorce would take that twisted version of a security blanket away from her. Olivia realized that she wanted that. She was ready for it.

"I know. It's going to be a long and very difficult road, but it always has been for us. I think… I think it will be worth it in the end."

"Yeah?", he asked and Olivia could sense his smile through the phone. "I think so too."

There was a moment of comfortable silence between them, before Olivia realized that they were not the only people that would be directly affected by a divorce.

"What about your kids, Fitz? This is going to be so difficult for them."

"I know, but I really think they will be okay. Teddy barely knows his mother as it is. She rarely spends quality time with him and he's literally in the next room. He doesn't know us together. As for Gerry and Karen, I think they understand that their parents' marriage isn't a happy one. Maybe, given time, they will actually realize that spending time with their mother or father will be so much less tense if Mellie and I aren't pretending to be happy."

"Once things actually happen, I want to talk to them if that's okay with you."

"Of course, Livy.", he agreed quickly. "They adore you, and they will be the first ones to know how important you are to me."

"I didn't mean it like that.", Olivia corrected him, sounding almost nervous now.

"I do, though. I mean it, Liv. One of the most difficult things about keeping this relationship a secret is having to keep it away from my kids. I want them to know you as more than just 'Olivia that worked for dad'."

"It sounds like you have been thinking about this for a while.", Olivia smiled, wishing for the hundredth time that he were in bed with her right now.

"Since the moment you told me I'd be lucky to have you."

She didn't reply, because his words simply didn't need a response. Olivia knew they were both allowing themselves a moment to picture the future, so she didn't stop her mind from drifting to a place where her love for the President was no longer a secret. A smile found its way to her lips when she imagined them years from now – happy, content, _together_. She wondered where they would live, and how often Fitz' children would come to stay with them. Picturing Gerry and Karen with them was easy, because she knew them and had such a soft spot for the two. Teddy, however, she had never even met and Olivia realized that she really wanted to make him a part of her life with Fitz as well.

"I want to meet Teddy.", she whispered, interrupting Fitz' own silent musings.

"Really?", Fitz asked, sounding so surprised and happy that it warmed Olivia's heart.

"Really.", she replied. "He must be so big by now."

"He's amazing."

There was so much love in the way Fitz talked about his son, that Olivia wanted to meet the little guy even more. They had never really talked about the youngest Grant, because of the way he had been conceived. Teddy was not an accident, but not a child conceived out of love either. He was the result of a calculated political move, and it pained Olivia that she'd had any part in that. However, today the little boy was the reason Fitz smiled a little every day, and Olivia knew that Fitz would not trade him for the world.

"What do you think is going to happen now, Fitz? Do you really believe Mellie will actually sign that agreement?"

"I honestly don't know at this point. The ball is in her court now, and knowing Mellie she will spend a lot of time thinking about this and considering her options.", Fitz explained. "I will give her some time, a few days maybe, but if she doesn't sign it I'm going to have to talk to her again."

"And if she never agrees?", Olivia asked, because it was something they'd have to be prepared for.

"Then there are things I could do."

"Fitz.", she warned. "Don't do anything you will regret later."

"Don't worry about that, Liv. I want this to be a clean, no-nonsense divorce, but Mellie isn't as squeaky clean as she seems and if it comes to it, I will use her shortcomings against her."

Olivia didn't argue, because she knew that at some point down the road, they might run out of options. She was not surprised to hear that Mellie had a few skeletons in the closet herself, but she hoped that Fitz wouldn't have to dig them up and use them against his wife. Olivia certainly wasn't against utilizing this method – she'd made a living out of it – but she wanted this divorce to be as simple as possible for the sake of Fitz and his children.

"You know what I am really worried about?"

"What is it, Fitz?", Olivia asked nervously.

"Cyrus. He scares me more than Mellie. When it comes down to it, you'll be in charge of handling him."

Olivia's genuine laugh made his heart feel lighter, and he relaxed back into his chair, smiling. He heard the sound of fabric shifting and pictured her getting more comfortable under the cover. Not for the first time, Fitz wished to be there with her, not just for the night, but for good. He had to remind himself that they'd have to take things one day at a time, because that was all they could ever expect from one another. An idea formed in his mind and he smiled into the phone.

"I'm planning on spending my afternoon with Teddy tomorrow. Do you want to join us?"

Surprised, Olivia giggled nervously: "You don't think it's too soon?"

"You said you'd like to meet him, so…"

"I know, I know. And I definitely do. Don't ever doubt that, Fitz. I just don't want to cause any more trouble between you and Mellie. She is his mother, after all."

"You wouldn't know sometimes.", Fitz mumbled. "Look, it's up to you, but Teddy will be in the Oval with me tomorrow afternoon, and if you want, I would love for you to come meet him. Mellie won't be anywhere near, she never is because that's my time with my son, so you don't have to worry about her."

Allowing herself a moment to think about it, Olivia considered her options. The moment she'd enter the White House she would make herself vulnerable. There was a chance she's run into Mellie, or Cyrus, or someone that knew about her accident and felt the need to engage her in a conversation. But that was not what she ultimately based her decision on.

"Okay. I'll be there."

His sigh of relief was audible even through the phone, and it made Olivia happy to know that he truly wanted her to meet his little boy.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Fitz.", she smiled. "I'll see you both tomorrow then?"

"I can't wait."


	17. Chapter 17

**I am trying to cover all the important aspects of a relationship between Fitz and Olivia, and in my opinion that includes his children. In case you can't tell by this chapter, I'm a total sucker for babies. Please keep reading and reviewing. I love your feedback!**

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When Olivia entered the White House on Sunday afternoon, the halls were typically busy but relatively quiet. She managed to slip through unnoticed which was a miracle in itself being that so many of the White House staff members knew Olivia from the time she had spent working there. She only stopped when she arrived in front of the Oval Office.

"He's expecting you, Ms. Pope.", the President's assistant informed her with a small smile.

Olivia nodded and walked up to the door of the world's most famous office, giving it a gentle knock. She heard his reply and entered, immediately closing the door behind her to shut the rest of the world out as much as possible. When she turned, she was met with the sight of the President of the United States crouched on the floor, a chubby little baby boy bouncing happily between his legs, screeching joyfully as he threw a small toy at his father. Fitz lifted his head to meet Olivia's gaze and smiled at her expression. She looked almost stunned, as if this wasn't what she had expected to see.

"Come on and meet the next great Grant.", he encouraged, bringing Olivia out of her thoughts.

She laughed nervously, but walked towards father and son anyway. After all, this is what she had come here to do. When she reached them, Teddy caught sight of her and dropped his building blocks to inspect his visitor. He tipped his head to the side and stared at her, looking her up and down before reaching two tiny hands out for the bag she was holding.

"He is adorable.", Olivia laughed, the boy's happy demeanor putting her at ease.

For a moment she considered sitting on the couch that Fitz was leaning against to keep a bit of a distance between them, but Olivia decided against it and joined them on the floor instead. She sat close to Fitz, and he turned to her with a smile.

"Hi.", he greeted her with a quick, innocent peck on the lips.

Olivia pushed him away playfully and returned her attention to Teddy, who had not stopped staring at her. His eyes traveled from hers to the bag that was now sitting between her legs, then back to Olivia's face. Scooting himself closer, he reached out for the bag again, looking at the new person in the room expectantly.

"He has a one-track-mind just like you.", Olivia giggled and Fitz laughed.

"We can't help it. We just get completely distracted when a beautiful woman enters the room, right buddy?"

The baby cooed adorably and Olivia found herself falling in love with him. She had always liked children because they were honest and didn't censor their words. However, she had always preferred older kids, because she found it easier to communicate with them, to understand their moods and actions. It was one of the reasons Fitz' older children had taken to her immediately when she had met them on the campaign trail. Olivia had never talked down to them or treated them like lesser human beings because they were still young, and Gerry and Karen had enjoyed that immensely. This little boy, no matter how young he was in that moment, was difficult not to love when he looked up to her with the biggest, most inquisitive eyes.

"This is for you, Teddy.", Olivia said, pushing the small gift bag closer to him before turning to Fitz. "I don't know what he likes and I'm sure there's nothing he doesn't have, but I wanted to get him a little something."

Meanwhile, Teddy had busied himself with the yellow tissue paper in the bag. He'd pulled it out and was now happily ripping it apart until shreds of paper were spread all over the floor between them. He giggled every time he ripped off a new piece, and Fitz watched him with amusement.

"I think he loves it.", Fitz teased, and Olivia poked his side lightly.

"There's an actual gift in there, but I think he's content with the paper."

When Teddy had managed to rip both pieces of tissue paper apart completely, he turned to his father as if to ask what he was supposed to do next. Fitz tipped the gift bag for him, so the baby could reach into it and pull out its contents. His small hands grasped the object inside and he pulled it out to inspect it. The teddy bear was not much smaller than the child himself, and Olivia watched in delight as Teddy's eyes got bigger, his small hands patting the bear carefully.

"What do you have there, buddy?", Fitz spoke up, pulling his son to sit on his lap.

He held the teddy bear up and noticed the small detail that had just now become visible to him. A tiny American flag had been stitched on the right side of the stuffed animal's chest, and Fitz realized the sentiment behind it immediately. He knew to Teddy, this was simply a new toy to play with, but to him, Olivia's thoughtfulness meant the world. The small flag had only 48 stars, and looked exactly like the flag pin Olivia had given to him a couple of years ago. Fitz traced it with his finger, and Olivia watched how both father and son seemed to be completely taken by the small toy.

"I thought he might like something that will remind him of his daddy, even if he doesn't understand that quite yet."

"You're amazing.", Fitz whispered, holding his son with one hand and using the other one to stroke Olivia's cheek.

He leaned in for a kiss, and this time Olivia allowed him to linger a little. The cameras were ever present, but they'd done much worse than kissing in this office in the past, and Olivia let herself trust Fitz to take care of the surveillance cameras later. Suddenly, a tiny hand pushed between their faces, and they broke apart, laughing. Teddy stared up at them, his fingers still resting against Olivia's chin. She smiled at the boy, and before she could stop herself, she left a kiss against his fingertips. For just a moment, all three of them were completely quiet, then the baby's arms stretched out towards Olivia.

"Are you okay with that?", Fitz asked, because he knew this was all new for her, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be overwhelmed. "It's no problem if you want to slow this down a bit."

"I don't know if I'll be any good at it.", she admitted nervously, but held her arms out anyway.

Fitz lifted his son and handed him to Olivia, who held him with outstretched arms awkwardly for a moment, before nestling him securely into her lap. Teddy bounced once, then again, before he fell back against her body contently, and returned his focus to his brand new toy, babbling happily. The little body fit perfectly into the safe grasp she had on him, and Olivia relaxed visibly.

"Looks good to me.", Fitz whispered, the adoration in his voice not lost to her.

"He makes it easy.", Olivia replied, running her fingers through the baby's soft hair. "He's a great little boy, you know that?"

"I do. I am so lucky to have him. Thank you for being here today and for being so amazing with him, Liv. It means more to me than you could ever imagine."

She knew that it meant a lot to Fitz that she was making an effort to get to know his third child, but it meant just as much to her that she was given that chance. If they would manage to make their relationship work this time and if they had a future together, then Fitz' children would play a huge role in their lives. Gerry and Karen were getting older and more self-sufficient, but Teddy would rely on them fully for a long time yet, and for the first time Olivia realized that she could see herself playing that role in the boy's life – along with Fitz and Mellie. As much as things would always be tense between them, Olivia hoped that Mellie would eventually agree to a compromise that would make living between two homes easier on the children. She never wanted to take away her role as a mother, because no matter what, it belonged to Mellie and no-one else. However, Olivia did not want to be just a bystander. If she and Fitz were taking a serious shot at a life together, then she wanted to be there for all of his children. Fitz' arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, enjoying a moment that was sure to shape their future in new ways. Teddy gurgled in her lap and twisted his little body to get Olivia's attention.

"Fifteen minutes in and he's already taking your attention away from me.", Fitz said jokingly. "This child is going to be a problem."

Teddy reached out and slapped his father's thigh, adding a loud screech for emphasis. The two adults shared a laugh at his antics, and Olivia pulled the baby back into her body, beginning to feel more comfortable around him. She smirked at Fitz who was shaking his head in amusement.

"Oh, I think you are just the greatest little thing I've ever met.", she cooed, tickling Teddy's belly, hoping to hear his little laugh again.

A new voice interrupted the moment they three were sharing.

"Isn't this the most heart-warming scene?"


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm still high from the last Scandal episode! This story is slowly coming to an end; I can't believe it. I've been done writing for over a week now and I miss it already. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing!**

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Olivia's first instinct was to hand Teddy off to his father and leave to avoid a confrontation. The little boy, however, had turned into her body and was playing idly with her watch. He seemed completely content in her arms. Fitz looked annoyed at being interrupted, but she knew him well enough to also recognize how much he tensed up immediately.

"Olivia, how very nice to see you again.", Mellie spoke again.

She was smiling but her words almost sounded like a hiss. Olivia cursed herself inwardly for coming here in the first place, because she had known that this was a possibility and she realized now that she really wasn't ready to face an angry wife and mother.

"Mellie…", Fitz warned. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my son, Fitzgerald."

"Spare me.", he snorted. "You have never picked him up from our playtime here. I either take him back to his nursery, or the nanny comes to pick him up. So please spare us from your games and tell me why you're really here."

"Maybe I should go.", Olivia mumbled, stroking Teddy's back gently .

The baby had lifted his head to stare at Fitz, not used to hearing his father speak in such a harsh tone. One hand was fisted into the fabric of Olivia's shirt, and he was gnawing heartily on the other one. Fitz looked weary and angry, but he never removed his arm from around her, almost as if he was trying to remind her that he was on her side and that she had nothing to fear. Truth be told, Olivia wasn't afraid. However, she felt incredibly uneasy with Mellie regarding them coldly while she was practically snuggling with the woman's son and husband, on the floor of the Oval Office no less. She felt like she had no right to interfere with a family's life the way she had been doing lately.

"Stay, won't you? You're looking awfully cozy and I would hate to interrupt your little moment here. I see my son has taken to you too."

Olivia turned to Fitz and smiled at him sadly.

"I'm going to leave. I don't want a fight, especially with Teddy here."

Fitz and Mellie both watched as Olivia gave the baby a quick squeeze and then released him into his father's waiting arms. She stood, squeezed Fitz's shoulder and made her way towards the office door. When she passed the First Lady, Olivia stopped.

"You have an amazing son, Mellie.", she said, leaving the Oval Office and making her way out of the White House without looking back.

That night, Fitz called to apologize for Mellie's behavior, but Olivia stopped him. As much as she had hated being put into that situation, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at the First Lady. Had she been in her place, Olivia would have been hurt, upset, and most definitely mad, so she had to stop Fitz – and herself – from blaming the awkwardness of that moment on Mellie alone. She was happy to have met Teddy, and only wished she would have had a little more time with him and Fitz. The little boy had stolen Olivia's heart in a way only babies could, and it made her feel a little more secure and ready to have him in her life.

When Olivia finally returned to work, she was amazed at how much she had truly missed the intensity and the craziness that came with her profession. Her and her team spent a few days on their first case since Olivia's accident, and it was hectic, and busy, and so wonderfully familiar. When she returned home every night, Fitz called her and they shared over the phone what their busy schedules wouldn't allow them to share face-to-face. There was still a sense of hesitance between them after the Mellie-incident, mainly because Fitz felt the need to apologize to Olivia repeatedly. He was afraid that their run-in with his angry wife would change Olivia's opinion, maybe make her question her decision to be with him. She smiled and held the phone away from her face so Fitz wouldn't hear her giggle at his huffs and sighs, because he sounded like a petulant child, not like a world leader.

"Somebody's at the door. I have to go, Fitz."

"It's almost ten. Who comes to see you this late at night?", he asked, mainly because he didn't want to be done talking to Olivia.

"Apparently you are not the only one that can pop in for late night visits.", Olivia laughed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright.", Fitz sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

Olivia hung up and tossed the phone onto the couch, walking to her front door with quick steps. She peeked through the peephole and almost stepped away from the door instinctively. Out of all the people she could have imagined at her door, this one was not on the list by any means. Taking a deep breath, Olivia opened the door to a perfectly styled, smiling Mellie Grant.

"Good, you are home. I was worried for a second.", Mellie greeted, eyeing Olivia expectantly.

With a sigh, Olivia stepped out of the way to let the First Lady into her home. Her Secret Service detail remained in the hallway, and it reminded Olivia of the times Fitz had come to see her at her apartment. She closed the door and turned to face Mellie, who had taken the time to give Olivia's home a once-over. It seemed almost surreal to have her standing there after everything her and Fitz had shared on the very same couch Mellie was now seating herself on.

"You don't mind, do you?", she smiled, straightening her skirt out in the process.

"Not at all.", Olivia replied.

She briefly considered offering her a drink but she didn't want to make Mellie feel too welcome, because she wasn't. Olivia took a seat as well, looking at Mellie and hoping she would simply come out and say what she had come to say.

"I'm sure you can guess why I am here."

"I'd rather not.", Olivia answered, because she was not going to play this game.

"I believe it is time for you to have a talk with my husband and remind him that he does not want a divorce. I assume you know of his plans."

"I do, but there is nothing I can or want to do about it, Mellie. Fitz makes his own decisions."

"That's the problem.", Mellie replied snippily. "Every time he does make a decision all by himself, we end up with these kinds of situations."

It made Olivia angry to hear this woman talk about Fitz that way, because he was very much able to make his own decision. She wondered if this was part of the reason that their marriage had fallen apart long before Olivia ever came along. Mellie was ambitious and power-hungry, and she wanted to be the one to make decisions. Olivia could understand that, because she was ambitious herself, and she wanted to achieve the things she set her mind to. What she couldn't understand, however, was Mellie's ruthlessness towards her own husband.

"I can't help you, Mellie."

"Listen, Olivia, I know you have this… this spell over him, but you need to let him go so he can get his head straight and be President."

"He _is_ President and I think he is doing a fantastic job.", Olivia argued.

"Of course you do. What happens the next time you two have a fight, or when he decides to sleep with some other girl, or when he turns to alcohol again?", Mellie asked. "You need to end this now."

"Listen,_ Mellie_.", Olivia warned, all pretense of friendliness gone. "I know he is your husband, and I know you have the right to be angry with me and with him, but I do not take orders from you. If he wants to divorce you, I won't stop him."

"You must love this. Campaign fixer turned mistress turned wannabe girlfriend. Only you won't be, don't you realize that? Even if, for some miraculous reason, Fitz would win re-election as a divorced man, he'd never be able to date you publicly. You will never be more than a dirty secret, Olivia."

The words stung, because Mellie had managed to manifest all of Olivia's fears in a few sentences. Olivia knew at this point, her eyes were giving her away, and the tiny, malicious smirk on the First Lady's face only confirmed that.

"That's not something you care about, Mellie, is it? You don't care about me or Fitz. You care about yourself and how a divorce would alter _your_ political future."

"Of course I care about my own future!", Mellie answered instantly. "Don't you care about what happens to this presidency? After everything we have all put into it? You and me and Cyrus and Verna, bless her soul."

Olivia refrained from commenting on the latter, although the mention of her name was a nasty reminder of what she'd done and how she had paid for her actions.

"I care about this presidency. But I care about the _President_ more.", Olivia admitted. "I don't know why you came here, because I can't help you."

"You are an intelligent woman, Olivia, and I've always liked that about you. But when it comes to my husband, you don't use all that intelligence and common sense you have. If he divorces me, he will destroy everything all of us worked for, and at the end of the day, it still won't change anything about that relationship you two think you can have. Don't you want more out of life, Olivia? Don't you think you need to let him go and stop chasing after him like a love-sick teenager? I would have thought that you were better than that."

Olivia stared into the cold eyes of the First Lady and let her words set in. She wondered if this was something Fitz was forced to put up with every day – the attitude and the air of arrogance that surrounded Mellie. Fitz did not hate his wife, but Olivia often felt like there was a nearly all-consuming resentment there that reached much deeper than the election rigging.

"What about you, Mellie?", Olivia asked quietly. "Don't _you_ want more out of life than a husband that doesn't love you? Aren't you better than that?"

Olivia could pinpoint the exact moment when Mellie's self-confidence and arrogance disappeared. She suddenly looked defeated. With a nod that Olivia couldn't quite interpret, the First Lady stood up and left the apartment without looking back.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for the lovely reviews! I just want to make sure people understand that I do not hate Mellie by any means. I think she is a beautiful, very intelligent woman, but she should not be married to Fitz and she needs to see that. They are not good for each other and I think they both deserve more. That being said... only one chapter and an epilogue to go after this one! **

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"I can't do this anymore. I just… can't."

Fitz looked into the eyes of the woman he loved and realized that she was telling the truth – she really could not take much more.

"You're just going to give in that easily?", he questioned.

"Fitz…", Olivia whined.

Her body was sprawled out on the couch, and Fitz was on his knees on the floor in front of her. His head was buried between Olivia's quivering thighs, and the smirk on his face was proof of the delicious control he had over her body at that moment. After nearly two weeks of their busy schedules keeping them apart, Fitz had finally shown up at her door that night. They never even made it to the bedroom. He had tossed her on the couch, and her hearty laugh had been cut off the moment Fitz had lowered himself on top of her.

"I haven't seen you in weeks, I want to take my time.", the President smirked.

He was fully clothed while Olivia was completely naked in front of him. Her pajamas and underwear formed a trail from the door to the couch and her expensive cushions had been thrown on the floor, but Olivia could not have cared less. All she was focused on in that moment was the man between her thighs, giving her more pleasure than she knew how to handle.

"Fitz this is torture.", she moaned as he nipped on her bare thigh slowly.

"I love to torture you.", he growled in response.

Fitz licked his way up her thigh to her center ever so slowly, and Olivia threw her head back, readying herself for more of his sweet torture. She had been at his mercy for what seemed like forever, and he would take her to the edge but never let her fall over. Olivia squirmed, pushing herself closer to his mouth. The tip of his tongue met her swollen clit again, and she cried out loudly.

"Fitz, please… just… please…"

"What is it that you want, sweet baby.", he teased. "You'll have to tell me."

"You know what I want.", Olivia groaned, fisting both hands in his unruly curls. "Just… make it happen."

The vibrations of his laugh against her sex made Olivia's hips buck, and Fitz loved the way she was unable to control her body. He sucked on her gently, enough to drive her wild, but never quite enough for her to actually cum.

"You'll just have to come and get what you want.", he breathed against her hotly.

With a low moan, Olivia began to rub herself against his eager mouth. She felt so wanton and naughty – almost dirty – but it didn't matter anymore. Fitz met her every thrust with a sensual lick, and he knew he would have to allow her release soon because he could barely hold back himself. She was so incredibly gorgeous at that moment, and so lost in the love and lust they shared for one another, that she was truly letting go. He gripped her hips tighter and let Olivia throw her thighs over his shoulders. Fitz lifted his eyes to be able to see her face when she would finally come undone, only to find Olivia looking down at him, panting. Painfully slowly, he pushed his tongue into her sex and she cried out, cumming around it immediately. Fitz didn't slow down until he was sure she was completely spent.

"You taste so delicious, Livy."

"God…", Olivia breathed, watching him as he carefully moved her wobbly legs from around his neck.

Fitz kissed his way up her body until they were face-to-face. He kissed her thoroughly, letting Olivia taste herself on his lips. The kissed languidly until Olivia became impatient. Her fingers found the buttons of his shirts and she began undoing them one by one, until she was able to push the fabric off his broad shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him into her body, and Fitz groaned against her lips.

"Couch or bed?", he mumbled absentmindedly.

"Bed. This couch was expensive.", Olivia replied and bit his bottom lip gently.

He laughed at the implication, but stood up anyway. She felt cold and exposed immediately, but Fitz didn't let her dwell on it. He hoisted her up into his arms, and Olivia wrapped herself around him with a squeal. They made their way into the bedroom quickly, and Olivia sprawled out on the large bed while Fitz quickly undressed. He looked like a starving animal when he strutted over to her, and Olivia quickly scooted up the bed when he pounced on her. Fitz attacked her body with wild kisses, making her squirm and laugh.

"This is why you're not allowed on the couch!", Olivia squealed, getting on her hands and knees to crawl away from him.

Grabbing her waist quickly, Fitz groaned in appreciation: "I like this…"

Olivia turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. It still amazed him how someone this gorgeous and sensual could look so bashful sometimes. She was biting her bottom lip, but never made an effort to move out of the more than compromising situation. So Fitz moved closer, until she could feel his lower body pressed against her ass. He watched her fist the sheets in her hands, her entire body heaving with the breaths she took. Bending over her body, Fitz kissed a trail from the base of Olivia's neck to her sweet behind, giving the soft skin there a playful nip.

"You okay with this?", he whispered against her skin.

Olivia didn't reply, but pushed herself back into him. He didn't warn her before pushing himself deep inside of her, and she moaned loudly. Olivia buried her face in the pillow and let him pound into her over and over again. He was big and strong and his thrusts were powerful and absolutely all-consuming. There was something so arousing and sensual about the fact that she couldn't see him or touch him, and she reveled in the feeling of giving this man complete control over her body. Fitz bent down to bite her shoulder lightly, and she could feel his harsh breaths bouncing off her neck.

"You feel so good.", he groaned.

He wrapped on hand around her stomach and pulled her body up so she was on her knees, sitting backwards on his straining erection. Olivia's head dropped to his shoulder and she reached behind him to push her hand into his sweaty hair.

"Hold on to the headboard, Livy."

She did as she was told, watching her knuckles go white at the tight hold. Fitz began to move again, harder and faster this time, and she knew she would be deliciously bruised and sore the next morning. Suddenly, he grabbed her right hand and pulled it off the headboard. He brought both of their hands between her legs and allowed her to feel their connection.

"Fitz…", she cried, letting him guide her own fingers over her clit. "Baby… more…"

He did as he was told immediately, knowing that Olivia felt too good and too tight for him to hold on much longer.

"Come on, sweet baby.", he growled into her ear. "Let go."

He pushed their entwined hands against her sex roughly, feeling her fingers against his member every time he pulled out of her. Finally, Fitz felt her release. Olivia's entire body stiffened before shuddering violently, and she cried out his name over and over again. She didn't get a chance to calm herself down before she could feel Fitz spill himself deeply inside of her.

"I love you.", she mumbled as he gave her a final, tired thrust. "I love you."

He barely had the strength to lower them into the sheets, so she turned onto her back and let him fall against her. Fitz's head came to rest on her heaving chest, and Olivia stroked his scalp lovingly, calming them both.

"I'm too old for this.", he breathed against her breasts, his head bobbing up and down when she laughed. "I can't go two weeks without you and then do _this_."

"You are getting kind of old.", Olivia teased.

He pinched her side lightly and snuggled deeper into her body. They were quiet for a long time, and Olivia thought he might have fallen asleep on top of her. Then, she felt his lips move against her sensitive skin.

"I want to do this every day for the rest of my life."

"Do me from behind?", she asked cheekily.

His laugh was deep and hearty and oh-so-sexy. He lifted his head to look at her.

"That too.", he winked. "But I meant being with you, just… together."

"I know.", Olivia smiled sadly. "I do, too. We just need to be patient, Fitz. Just a little longer and we can start our life together, okay?"

"It's going to get harder before it gets better."

"It will, but we'll get through it."

"When did you become the one that's confident about our future?", Fitz asked, amused.

"When I had my head injured in this damn accident, I think.", she replied with a laugh. "There's something I need to tell you, by the way."

Her face fell slightly, and Fitz knew she didn't have to tell him anything positive. He scooted off her body and onto his side so they could look each other in the eyes.

"Mellie came to see me after she saw us in the Oval with Teddy."

"I am so sorry.", Fitz groaned in annoyance, smiling at her apologetically. "I'm going to talk to her. If she has an issue, she needs to come to me and leave you alone. Did she ask you to stop the divorce?"

"She did.", Olivia confirmed. "But I told her that there is nothing I can or want to do about it."

"Wow. How angry did she get?"

"I don't know if angry is the right word to describe it. I think she just… honestly doesn't know how to turn this around in her favor. I don't know if she will ever give in, Fitz."

"Let me worry about that, Liv. I'm sorry she came here, but I will make sure it doesn't happen again.", Fitz assured her. "I wish Mellie would just see that – political future or not – this marriage is not good for either one of us. I just want to be able to begin a normal life with you, Livy."

"Me too, Fitz. Me too."


	20. Chapter 20

**This is the last chapter, but there is an epilogue that I will post in a couple of days. I'm not sure if people are going to like this chapter, or how I resolved the story, but this has always been what I would like to see happen on the show. Thank you for reading and reviewing; your feedback is amazing! **

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The bedroom was dark when he entered it, but Fitz could see his wife's unmoving form sleeping in their bed. She was lying on her side, facing away from him. He closed the door quietly and walked into the room and around the bed. Taking a moment to look at the woman he had married many years ago, he felt a sense of sadness and melancholy wash over him. He wished they would have never let it come to this. Carefully, Fitz knelt in front of the bed, letting his eyes fall on her face. Mellie was a beautiful woman, and in her sleep she looked relaxed and almost innocent. She had given him three amazing children and for a long time she had even been somebody he could rely on – a friend, a confidant. When he looked at her now, Fitz wondered why they had not realized that they should have remained friends instead of letting their marriage be arranged for them. Both of their lives could have been easier, better maybe, if he would have listened to his heart many years ago. Fitz reached out and gently pushed Mellie's hair out of her face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually truly looked at his wife. After a moment of hesitation, he leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. He was connected to this woman in so many ways, but he felt absolutely nothing for her now.

"We were so stupid, Mellie.", he whispered almost soundlessly.

With a sigh, he stood and made his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. Fitz undressed, and smiled slightly when he caught a glimpse of the tiny love bite Olivia had left on his collarbone the night before. He wanted to give this woman the world, while his wife was still sleeping in the next room. The reality of his life was beginning to catch up with Fitz, and he felt an overwhelming need to make everything right for all of the important people in his life.

When the shower was turned on and the sound of water hitting the tile filled the room, Mellie opened her eyes. She hated nothing more than feeling weak, but in the darkness of the night she allowed herself a moment. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks, and she tasted their saltiness on her lips. So many times over the years, Mellie had been forced to fight to keep her husband by her side, to assure he understood that a divorce was going to hurt both of their careers and ambitions. Although it had always been an inconvenient, tiring task, she'd never been afraid that the outcome would be less than what she had planned for. This time, it was different. When her husband had walked into the bedroom mere minutes ago, Mellie had decided to feign sleep, because for once, she didn't want to have to face him or talk to him. She didn't want to hear him explain why they needed to be divorced; she didn't need to hear that he wanted nothing more than to leave their marriage behind him. His gentle touch had been so surprising that it shocked her, because there were no cameras around, and he hadn't been forced to do it. The moment his lips had touched the soft skin of her forehead, Mellie had felt the tears well up in her eyes. She'd always remember that moment. It was the moment she'd understood that she had lost her husband for good.

Mellie listened to the splashing of the water and let her mind drift to all the possibilities she was left with now. There was a locked drawer in her desk that held enough secrets to tie Fitz to her indefinitely – or ruin his life if he chose not to play along. She had pictures of him and Olivia, video tapes of late night visits and Oval Office sex, and signed depositions of his other indiscretions over the years of their marriage. She had Cyrus, who was arguably even more power-hungry than she was and would help her in a heartbeat if she'd play her cards just right. She had three children who she wouldn't hesitate to use as bait for their loving father. And finally, she had Olivia, who loved Fitz enough to do let him go if only she could twist the right kind of lie to make that happen. The words of her husband's mistress still bothered her, nagging her every day. _"Don't you want more out of life than a husband that doesn't love you? Aren't you better than that?"_ Mellie wondered what it was like to feel a love like the one her husband was sharing with another woman. She couldn't remember ever feeling those butterflies they talked about in cheesy romance novels. She'd never looked at a man and been swept right off of her feet. But she didn't need that, did she? Love was a fleeting emotion and those didn't get you anywhere in life. It was time to sort her thoughts and be strong.

The shower turned off, and Mellie quickly wiped her tear stained face. She would never allow Fitz to see her like that. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, Mellie had returned to her previous state, looking peaceful and very much asleep. He never joined her in bed.

Fitz quietly tip-toed into the nursery and dropped a blanket and pillow on the couch that had become his makeshift bed. He peeked into the crib at his beautiful son. The baby was sleeping peacefully, his small chest rising and falling and reminding Fitz of the little miracle he truly was. He was reminded of the day Olivia had met Teddy – the scenes replaying in his mind over and over again. It had arguably been one of the happiest days of his life. Teddy was a joyful baby, and Fitz had hoped that he would be able to ease Olivia's worries with his happy demeanor. What he hadn't expected was Olivia's reaction to the child. She'd looked so enamored, so completely enchanted by Teddy's happy smile, that it had made Fitz dream of a future were moments like that would become their normal. He leaned in to kiss his son's forehead, and then settled on the couch for the night.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief when she entered her apartment that night. The case she was working with her team was beginning to turn into a fiasco. Every time she turned around a new secret seemed to be exposed, and even Huck was having trouble keeping track of the countless off-shore bank accounts, mistresses, sex tapes, and money transfers he was trying to organize into a pattern that made sense. It didn't help that their client was a major figure in D.C. politics – and married with children. Olivia did not judge, because she wouldn't be able to do her job if she did, and because she had no right to comment on the moral shortcomings of others.

Her very own moral shortcoming had left a bite mark on her shoulder the other night, and despite her better judgment, the thought made Olivia giggle. She decided to skip dinner in favor of an extra thirty minutes of sleep and quickly got herself ready for bed. Once her tired body was situated under the sheets, Olivia stared wide-eyed at the shadows playing on the wall. Her mind was as exhausted as her body, but sleep still did not come easy. She thought about Fitz and the night they'd shared just the other day. He'd been so unbelievably passionate with her, and Olivia loved knowing that she had that kind of power over him. What kept her up at night, though, were the thoughts about their future. To Olivia, it seemed like they were turning a new page every day, and she could not wait to finally reach the chapter where their lives would finally become one.

A few days passed in the same fashion, and Olivia barely had time to miss Fitz with how busy work was keeping her. She watched him on TV once during a quick lunch break and called him after to tell him that his tie looked awful. There was such a normalcy in that small moment that Fitz realized he would move heaven and hell to assure them an amazing future together, if only to experience more of those moments.

"It's blue.", he laughed. "How can I go wrong with blue?"

"Blue would have been wonderful.", Olivia explained. "But that's not blue. That's I-can't-decide-if-I-want-blue-or-grey-or-purple. Just awful."

"You're crazy, you know that?", Fitz smiled into the phone.

"And you need a tie consultant.", she teased in return.

"Are you up for the job? I can think of a thing or two we could do with those ties."

"You could stop by tonight and we can figure out if I'm up for it."

"Olivia Pope.", he growled. "Are you tempting me to leave the White House to engage in sexual activities?"

She giggled: "I need to get back to work and so do you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Livy."

Fitz dropped the phone back into its cradle and returned to the paperwork in front of him. He never noticed that the door had opened slightly, giving his wife the opportunity to listen in on his conversation with Olivia. Mellie closed the door silently and stepped away. Her husband's words should anger her, but they no longer did. Instead, she was left with a feeling of emptiness. Even during a phone conversation that only lasted seconds, Fitz had managed to sound completely in love and utterly consumed by Olivia Pope. Mellie could not remember a single time in her life that a man had sounded like that talking to her. _"Aren't you better than that?"_ In the buzzing halls of the White House, surrounded by countless people, First Lady Mellie Grant felt completely alone.

It was nearly midnight but Olivia was wide awake because she was expecting company. In a moment of temporary insanity, she had gone out and bought Fitz an expensive, deep blue silk tie earlier. She wasn't planning on pairing it with one of his suits. Olivia Pope had other plans. Heat was beginning to spread throughout her body, because even in his absence, Fitz made her consider things she'd never even dreamed of before.

The knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Olivia dropped the small box that held the tie on the table. She sauntered to the door and opened it with a small smirk. Fitz stepped in, waited for her to close the door, and then wordlessly handed Olivia a manila envelope. His face was so serious, and she almost wanted to reach out and smooth her finger over the furrow between his brows. The stiff paper of the envelope felt heavy in her hand, but Olivia knew by how thin it was that it couldn't be holding more than three or four sheets of paper.

"Open it.", Fitz said when she looked at him questioningly.

She watched him take a seat on her couch, his gaze fixed firmly on a spot on the floor. Olivia's plans of a naughty night were forgotten and replaced by a feeling of tread and worry. Slipping her fingers into the open envelope, Olivia pulled out a small stack of stapled sheets of paper. Her eyes caught the bold, large letters in the middle of the first page and her breath caught. Fitz looked up and studied her features before their eyes met across the room. He gave her the tiniest, barely noticeable smile.

"Flip to the last page, Livy.", he instructed, and she thought his voice sounded strained.

Olivia did as she was told. What she saw changed her life in an instant. There, on the last page of the papers she found Fitz' signature. The spot next to his name was occupied by a different handwriting.

Mellie had signed the divorce agreement.


	21. Epilogue

**This is it. I can't believe how amazing it has been to write this story and how grateful I am for the wonderful feedback. I've loved every second of working on this story. A few days ago I had a dream about Olivia and Fitz, and I decided to write it down and see what I can do with it. I am now five chapters into a new story that I am quite excited about. Stay tuned! Again, thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, followed, and supported this story. **

**x**

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**Epilogue **

The slight breeze was a welcome relief on a hot California September day. Despite the light, flowing sundress she was wearing, Olivia was sweating. Her thighs were sticking to the wooden chair, and she adjusted her body for the hundredth time. Reaching for the glass of ice cold water on the small table beside her, Olivia let her eyes travel over the vast expanse of green in front of her. She loved the large yard, especially during the spring months, but even now it was her favorite part of her home. For most of her life, she had been a city girl that enjoyed the fast-paced living, but now Olivia appreciated the more quiet, beautiful environment. She watched the scene in front of her with a smile on her face.

At age twenty-seven, Karen was a beautiful, successful woman with her mother's ambitions and her father's big heart. She was a successful lawyer, but more importantly, Fitz' daughter was a happily married mother of a little girl. The two-year old had her entire family wrapped around her little finger, and Olivia was absolutely no exception. She let her eyes rest on her step-daughter for a moment, grinning when Karen threw her head back and laughed at her baby girl's antics. Little Isabelle was attached to her uncle's leg much like a little monkey, giggling as he playfully tried to shake her off. Teddy was growing up quickly, and Olivia saw so much of his father in him. He was a tall teenager with striking blue eyes and wavy hair that had the girls swooning already. He wasn't quite aware of his effect on the female population just yet, but Olivia knew that would come soon. He was his father's son after all. Although soft-spoken and quiet, Teddy was incredibly intelligent, diplomatic, and charming. Olivia had a feeling that he would someday follow in his dad's footsteps. He loved his little niece fiercely and treated her like the princess that she was.

Later that day, Gerry was expected home as well, and Olivia had high hopes of meeting his latest girlfriend over the weekend. Against all odds, Fitz's oldest son had chosen a different career path than the rest of the Grant family. Gerry had become an elementary school teacher with an incredible passion for education, teaching, and children. He lived to teach, and Olivia knew that Fitz was just as proud of his decisions as he was of Karen's. Although she had always loved all of Fitz' children equally, Olivia still had a soft spot for Gerry, who had looked up to her and adored her from the moment they had first met so many years ago on the campaign trail. When he walked through the door and spotted Olivia, he'd still always have that same look of adoration in his eyes.

Olivia loved being able to sit back and watch the family's life unfold in front of her. Between everyone's busy work schedules and the fact that they lived spread out across the United States, it wasn't often that the entire Grant family had a chance to get together. Olivia reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow again, and readjusted her dress with a huff. She couldn't remember summer in D.C. ever being quite this hot. Her mind drifted to the people that she had left behind in the nation's capital – her friends, her gladiators. The fact that all of them continued to work for Olivia Pope & Associates made her heart swell with pride and happiness. Harrison was running the D.C. office successfully with the support of Quinn, Abby, and Huck. Every couple months, Olivia would get on a plane and fly out to the East Coast to see them and to get a good look at the work they were doing. She still consulted with them regularly, but Harrison had proven himself worthy of running the office. Soon after she had moved to California, Olivia had opened a second office and although the scandals and issues were different here, she continued to fix the lives of those that sought out her help.

She thought about Cyrus and James who lived a less stressful life now. The latter hosted a popular political talk show, while Cyrus had managed the campaigns of several candidates running for a number of different offices. Above all, they were committed to one another and to raising their daughter who was growing up to be a smart, inquisitive young lady that had a bright future ahead of her.

Olivia thought about Mellie, and a small smile reached her lips. She was still so very _Mellie_, yet different than she had been in the past. After the struggles of a divorce and learning to live without the man that – despite all issues – had been her husband for a very long time, Mellie had finally found happiness. A busy D.C. lawyer herself, Fitz' former wife was happily married to Congressman Jacob Johnson – a political powerhouse with a passion for life who had managed to show Mellie what it really meant to be married for the right reasons. He was a Democrat, nearly unknown in D.C. before he ran for Congress, and he was a few years younger than Mellie. None of that had mattered in the end, because he seemed to love his wife unconditionally and completely, and in some aspects that had turned Mellie into a different woman. Even though it had not been easy at first, Fitz and Mellie had learned to communicate and to raise their children together. Her relationship with all three of her children was better now than it ever had been when the kids were younger, and Teddy especially spent a lot of time with his mother. Olivia was happy for her, happy that she was finally allowing herself to be loved in that special way every woman deserved. Most of all, Olivia was thankful for the peace they had all been able to find in life and with each other.

Teddy laughed heartily in the distance, throwing his squealing niece up in the air and twirling her around when he caught her. In moments like these, Olivia realized how blessed she was, and how fiercely she loved this family – her family. She'd never taken the step to have her own child, but that was okay because she considered Fitz' children to be hers, if not by blood then by how much she loved them. Karen was sitting in the grass with her husband, and although neither one of them had said a word yet, Olivia had a feeling Fitz would soon become a grandfather for the second time. The thought of watching her husband spoil yet another little Grant heir made Olivia's heart swell.

Her husband. Even after all this time, the word still made her stomach flutter. Being together had been their ultimate goal long before Fitz had even divorced his first wife, but when he had gotten down on one knee eight years ago, he'd still managed to take her by surprise. Olivia absentmindedly twisted the wedding band on her ring finger. Life was far from normal, because she _was_ Olivia Pope and he _was_ former President Fitzgerald Grant, but they had reached a point in their lives where they were content and happy.

Happy.

It was the only way Olivia could describe how she felt about life. Somewhere deep inside, she had always been worried that their love would fade, that normalcy would set in and they would realize that their fascination for one another wasn't enough after all. Marriage had proven her wrong. Today, Olivia loved and received love more strongly than ever before. Fitz was a good man and a great husband. She could fight with him over international politics for hours, and then turn around and watch him cook her dinner in his sweatpants. They could make an appearance at prestigious, high-profile D.C. events, only to leave early and watch old movies in their pajamas. Over the years, Olivia had watched him be Governor, President, father, grandfather, husband, and friend. Most of all, she had watched him be _Fitz_ – the man she had fallen in love with head over heels and was now spending the rest of her life with. He truly was a good man, and he was hers.

The breeze was beginning to pick up, and Olivia felt herself relax back into her chair. She could hear her husband move around in the kitchen, preparing dinner for all of them. He enjoyed doing the things that he had never been able to do while he was President, and Olivia loved the domestic side of him. Something hit the kitchen floor, and she heard him curse under his breath. It made her smile that their utterly strange lives had created such moments of normalcy. Olivia closed her eyes and simply listened to the sounds of her family. Teddy was making animal noises to entertain is demanding niece, and her giggles and laughs never failed to make Olivia's smile grow. Karen was yelling at them to be careful for the hundredth time – ever the concerned first-time mommy. In response, her husband continued cheering them on, earning playful slaps from his wife. In the background, Fitz was chopping away on something in the kitchen, humming along to a song that must have been playing in his head.

Against all odds, they had made it. Fitz had managed to fix her when she hadn't even realized how truly broken she had once been. They had fixed not only each other, but the family that surrounded them. Olivia was brought out of her thoughts when a body fell into the chair beside her. She turned her head to smile at her handsome husband.

She loved him so completely, that he could still make her heart beat out of her chest with a simple look, a tiny smile, or a loving touch.

They had reached their ultimate goal. On this hot September afternoon, Fitz and Olivia sat side by side on the porch of their California ranch. He winked at her and smiled.

"Hi."

Olivia's smile widened.

"Hi."

**~ The End ~**


End file.
